Pioneer Valley High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America earn 11 medals

SANTA MARIA — The PVHS Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) student organization recently earned 11 medals including first place in six different categories and 2^nd place in two categories at the Region 7 Competition in San Luis Obispo.

The students now have the opportunity to compete at the state level where they can win scholarship money and a variety of other prizes, according to Panther Family and Consumer Science Teacher Jennifer Montanez. In addition to the competitions, student Jacky Bautista was elected as the Region 7 Vice President for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, Montanez added.

Here is a list of the following students who competed and their placement.

• Aislinn Mase, 12^th grade- 1^st place in Decorated Wedding Cakes
• Gabriela Barajas 11^th grade- 1^st place in Menu Planning and Table Display
• Marissa Cabrera & Perla Chavez 12^th grade- 1^st place in team event of Repurpose and Redesign.
• Charlize Placencia 11^th grade- 1^st place in Child Development
• Javier Alvarez- 10^th grade 1^st place in Sewing Construction
• Melisa Cortez, Kelly Gomez & Natalie Cervantez- 1^st place in team event of Focus on Children
• Celeste Guerrero- 12^th grade 2^nd place in Decorated Wedding Cakes
• Nathalia Silva- 12^th grade- 2^nd place in Fashion Construction

“Going into the regional competitions was a bit overwhelming, since it was my first year competing for FCCLA. Once we arrived, I felt ready and I was excited to hear about the new experiences and opportunities that FCCLA can bring to me if it did well in my competition. Overall, it was an awesome experience and I am looking forward to State competitions in April!” – Gabriela Barajas 11^th grade (1^stplace in Menu Planning and Table Display)

“As my first year experience in FCCLA, I was nervous to compete in something I have never done before. But, competing was a blessing and I was so happy to just have the opportunity and was humbled when I got first place in my competition. I got to build connections with other competitors and would not trade that for anything!” – Charlize Placencia 11^th grade (1^st place in Child Development)

The FCCLA is a Career and Technical Student Organization that allows students to participate in competitive events, become involved in community service opportunities, student leadership, attend leadership conferences, develop real world skills, explore career pathways, and become college and career ready.