Students from all over the region came to Liberty on Oct. 9, with hopes of getting inspiration for becoming the future’s leaders. Every single one of those 250 students participates in FCCLA, or Family Career and Community Leaders of America, to witness the first Region IV meeting, which was hosted at Liberty.

There are 14 FCCLA regions in Missouri and Liberty is a member of No. 4.

Not only did schools in the Wentzville School District attend, but other schools such as Troy Buchanan, Warrenton, Fort Zumwalt East, Fort Zumwalt North, Van-Far in Vandalia, and even Montgomery County Middle and High School were present at the meeting.  All there to do the same thing: learn what it takes to improve the society and themselves.

FCCLA is a student organization that’s main goal is to help the community, especially the youth in need. The purpose of attending the meeting was to find motivation, learn about different skills on how to further better the community and how that all correlates on being a better leader in society. For example, Liberty’s FCCLA went to a soup kitchen to feed struggling families in their local area.

A guest speaker, Brandon E. White, gave his opinion and tricks on how to better oneself and community. The topic of state was also discussed by the vice president of elections, Abygail Reuther, who attends Troy Buchanan High School.

“My expectation of this meeting is to encourage others to keep going to state and since this is the first meeting in this region, give people a general idea on what FCCLA is about,” Reuther said. 

Many people have joined FCCLA for numerous reasons. Providing aid for those in need and volunteering gives back to the community and stands out on college applications. Others have alternative reason like junior Emma Benesek, who was in the same situation that others may be in.

“I didn’t have time to fit FACS into my schedule, so this was a way to fit this in,” Benesek said. 

The overall goal of every FCCLA club is to get the chance of going to state and participating in events with people all around Missouri. State is a way to solve certain problems in real life situations, and if the task is successful, the competitor will receive a gold rating and a bid to nationals, which will be hosted in Anaheim, California.

The goal of this meeting was for FCCLA members from different high schools with different backgrounds to gather together in order to learn the necessary skills to provide aid to children and families. They take these skills and apply them to everyday life.