FCCLA Students Bringing Affordable Spirit Wear to Hillcrest

Hillcrest High School’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America students, more commonly called FCCLA students, are learning new skills and putting current skills to use by creating all of the school’s spirit wear.

FCCLA, which is a class and work-study program at the school, gives students the opportunity to explore different careers while learning workplace skills, business ethics, how to write cover letters, develop resumes, fill out tax forms, and build professional portfolios among other things.
Students enrolled in the FCCLA class must complete work-study hours where students develop skills outside of the classroom working or interning with different businesses and professions in the community. This year, FCCLA is offering students the opportunity to learn how to make promotional items and spirit wear through a year-long internship.

Students are taught how to use tools such as a Cricut machine and t-shirt press purchased by the school’s Educational Foundation. They use the tools to make school spirit wear, tumblers, and a variety of other items.
While the students are learning new skills, they’re also helping their peers by providing them with an affordable spirit wear option.

FCCLA Teacher, Michelle Youngberg created the internship and says she wanted to find a way to make spirit wear more affordable for students while still providing the modern designs they wanted and were asking for.
“Many of our students are asking for spirit wear with glitter on it," says Youngberg. “Glitter can be expensive. When I first reached out to companies to get a quote on a long-sleeved shirt for my FCCLA students, I was surprised at how expensive they were. I learned I could make the shirts for much cheaper.”

By making the shirts through the program, the school is avoiding vendor up-charges, teaching students new skills, and fostering collaborative and creative relationships between different organizations within the school.

Currently, the program is making sweatshirts for the POMS team. While the program is still in the trial phase, next steps include a Google form to be released to all of the school’s organizations where requests can be made for spirit wear.

Michel Mims and Dalecia Wallace, two of the current four interns with the program, say that although they do not plan to pursue a career in promotions or marketing in the future, they enjoy learning a new skill they can apply throughout their lives and in various situations.

Students interested in taking part in the internship must be enrolled in the FCCLA work-study program and be taking the class. Students are required to commit five hours a week to the program; usually an hour a day during the student’s lunch period.

For more information about this program, please contact Michelle Youngberg at myoungberg@bhsd228.com.