The four years spent in high school are some of the most crucial parts of a student’s education because they allow them to explore classes and clubs that appeal to their interests and can eventually lead them to college or careers. The wide range of activities that Wakefield offers allows students to take classes and join organizations that can prepare them for life outside of school. Wakefield offers a club that accomplishes this and has allowed many students to meet new people and grow as leaders: FCCLA, the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America. 

FCCLA is an organization that applies topics learned from CTE classes to competitions that members can participate in and win awards for. Jane Flanagan is a CTE teacher and one of the advisors for the club. She has been an advisor since her first year at Wakefield and has a clear understanding of how it functions. 

“It is a national student organization that concentrates on the family and consumer sciences which include things like balancing home life with professional life,” Flanagan said. 

This club has been a great help to students by allowing them to gain officer positions to enhance their leadership techniques. State Officer, Ja’Quann Cannon, has seen the positive effects of the club firsthand. Being in the club has given him many new, helpful tools that he will be able to apply to careers in the future. 

“[FCCLA] has shaped my life,” Cannon said. “[It] is something that every high schooler should experience or something similar to it because it gave me the tools to succeed in life, how to be a good leader, and how to be beneficial to my community.”

The organization includes several volunteer opportunities that allow members to get out into their community and help those around them. Olivia Berta is a junior who has enjoyed these opportunities. Berta is the Secretary of the club and has accumulated several hours of community service. 

“It all centers around community service, so we use the skills that we learned from Family Consumer Science classes and we put them to use,” Berta said. “In particular, we did this program with child development where we had a drive for supplies for babies that are in the Ronald McDonald House for their families and we used our skills from child development for that.”

Junior Ava Adkins has learned that, along with the amazing skills students learn and exercise in this club, it is a great opportunity to meet new people and engage in activities with others with similar interests. She is one of the Vice Presidents and has been able to make new friends through the club. 

“I like FCCLA because it’s helped me find like-minded people who have similar interests to me,” Adkins said. 

All the leadership skills they have gained through the club have been a big help when they go to competitions. One of those competitions was over the course of three days, starting on March 18, 2024, and overall three students placed and one got second place in the state. With all the amazing aspects of this club, all students can agree that it has helped them gain the ability to go out into their community and make a difference. 

“I think FCCLA is important and different in such an abstract way because it’s one of the only organizations that really focuses on family and leadership,” Cannon said.