FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) is a nationwide organization where students can explore a wide range of events and careers, especially within the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) field. Similar to organizations such as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)  and DECA, members participate in competitive events. These include knife skills, baking and pastry, child development and fashion construction and design. Middleton FCCLA is led by Emma Dittmer and Tara Bradford, two FCS teachers here at Middleton High School (MHS). This year, MHS had seven students attending the State Leadership Conference, competing in a wide variety of events, including cake decorating, fashion design and more.  

The Wisconsin FCCLA State Leadership Conference (SLC) was held from April 6-8 at the Kalahari Resort and Convention center in the Wisconsin Dells. Students not only competed, but also had the opportunity to attend breakout sessions, where local schools, businesses and individuals talk about their experiences and how students can apply it in the future. They could reconnect with these groups at their booths at the expo on the second day of the conference, where they can learn about opportunities and what they have to offer. To qualify for SLC, students must receive a “Gold” rating at regionals, which is a score of 90-100 points, awarded by the judges at the Regionals event. 

Allison Wippurfurth, a sophomore, competed in cake decorating. Cake decorators have to follow a theme, use a certain assortment of piping tips, and use specific techniques. 

“For my event, I learned a lot about cake decorating,” Wipperfurth stated. This year’s theme for her age group was movies and TV shows. Wippurfurth made a “Blue’s Clues”-themed cake as an homage to a show she loved as a kid.

Wippurfurth recalls: “I was surprised by the amount of people at the conference that connect with my interest in baking and decorating.” 

Besides her event, Wippurfurth said she was pleasantly surprised by the fun tradition of button trading. For FCCLA, button trading is when you make buttons representing your chapter and trade them with other schools. 

“I was totally not expecting it to be as big and as fun as it was,” Wippurfurth said.

In the club member picture, there are several students who have amassed buttons from schools all over the state and displayed them on their conference badges. 

Another leader of the MHS chapter, Kyleigh Fosdick, participated in Fashion Construction, where she documented the process of making a garment. 

“I learned multiple skills from my project […] the most important one being presentational skills, specifically how to approach people professionally and get them engaged with my piece,” Fosdick said. 

Fosdick’s piece was inspired by renaissance fairs, and included a corset with a satin bodice and skirt. The dress was fully handmade.

“For sewing specifically, I learned how to create a complex bodice with boning and gathers. I also learned how to make a skirt from scratch without a pattern,” Fosdick stated. Boning are solid pieces that are inserted into a corset to give it structure, while gathers are when fabric is bundled together to add shape and volume.

She got a nearly perfect score at regionals this winter for her dress.

Fosdick’s dress was also featured in the FCCLA Wisconsin fashion show, where students display clothing they have made, alongside inspirations for its creation. Hers qualified for the eveningwear section of the show. She also was chosen as one of the content creators for the State Leadership Conference, highlighting her additional skills in photography. 

Fosdick reflected on her leadership: “I co-run the fashion club at our school and part of that is informing people of the events FCCLA has. No one this year had done a fashion event, but if they did, they would have come to me and Mrs. Chapman for information and help with their project.” 

Even though she is one of the leaders of the Middleton chapter of FCCLA, Fosdick stated that “when [she] joined this club, it was on a whim.” It has become so much more for her 

“Overall I am just grateful to have joined this club. It teaches you so much more than FCS skills, it teaches you life ones, too,” Fosdick added.

Some of the FCCLA events allow finalists to proceed to a national competition. This year’s National Leadership Conference (NLC) is in Washington, D.C. Fosdick and one other student, Nikki Annaveyla, will attend NLC in July. 

Fosdick shared her excitement for the national competition, saying, “I can’t wait to go to nationals this summer with Nikki and I hope the club keeps growing with passionate people.”