|
Schenectady High School
September 09, 2009
Two SHS
Sophomores Bring Home the Gold and Bronze
at State and National FCCLA Conferences
Congratulations
Johanna Stone and Meranda Bell, both Schenectady High School
sophomores who were awarded state and national awards in Family,
Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) competitions.
Stone, a member
of the GE School of Humanities and Culture and Bell, a member of
the School of Global Commerce collaborated to win the gold medal
in their division at the FCCLA Students Taking Action with
Recognition (STAR) New York State competition and the
bronze metal in the national competition at the conference held
in Nashville, TN this July.
FCCLA is a
nonprofit national career and technical student organization for
students in Family and Consumer Sciences education through grade
12. Projects focus on youth issues and concerns.
Members also have many opportunities to expand their leadership
potential and develop life skills. Today more than
219,000 members in nearly 6,500 chapters are active in 50 states
and the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The FCCLA STAR
competition includes an array of events in which members
demonstrate proficiency and achievement in chapter and
individual projects, leadership skills and career preparation.
The events offer individual skill development and application of
learning through cooperative, individual and competitive
activities.
The STAR
competition offers about 19 events. Examples are
applied technology, career investigation, early childhood,
illustrated talk and interior design. The complete
list and a description of each is available on the STAR website:
http://www.fcclainc.org/content/star-events/
Stone and Bell
participated in the Applied Technology category with a
project titled "Child Development - Documenting Guided
Participation," a study that would test Barbara Rogoff's theory
of guided participation.
Throughout the
process, the two
were required to provide a planning outline and summary page
which addressed concerns, goals, the plan, the act and
follow-up.
"We
have become very interested in studying theories about child
development," the girls explain under the summary goal.
"One theory we have learned about is Barbara Rogoff's theory of
guided participation - a method of engaging with another to help
the other learn a socially important practice." Stone and
Bell then set out to develop a project
that would test the theory.
The plan included obtaining
parental consent, setting up meetings with small children after
school and children who were guests in the high school child
development class. "We wanted to know if a more
experienced learner - no matter the age- could teach an
inexperienced learn how to master a first time activity," wrote
the authors.
Stone and Bell report that
their results support Rogoff's theory. "We found that a
more experienced learner could teach a less experienced learner
to master a first time activity."
After Stone and Bell gathered
the evidence for the experiment, they documented their work by
taking photographs which were later included in their portfolio,
a final part of their presentation.
Before competing at the
national conference, the girls presented their project at the
regional 4 and 6 conference held at Schenectady's Career Center
at Steinmetz. The two received feedback on their project
from other FCCLA members in the region as well as their high
school peers in child development classes at Schenectady High
School.
The girls wrote, "if we did
this project again, we would use video footage instead of
photographs."
Stone and Bell thanked their
parents who they wrote allowed them to participate in the
competition and stay after school on several occasions as well
as work on the project on Saturdays. They girls wrote that
they are also grateful to the parents who allowed their
children to participate in the study and for the support they
received from teachers and administrators in school. The
girls named Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Kris Foote, who
is their advisor and coach, Family and Consumer Sciences
Teacher and longtime FCCLA advisor Dodi Cehcnicki, House
Principal Peter Parisi and Associate Superintendent Gary Comley.
Related
Story:
SHS student is New York State FCCLA Officer Elect
Congratulations Johanna Stone
MORE
Back |
