HC Polytech Students Earn Top Prizes at National Competition

Flemington, N.J. – The winning streak continued for five students from Hunterdon County Polytech’s Teacher Academy and Early Childhood Education Program who competed last month at The National Conference of the Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) in Atlanta. The students all qualified for this national event by winning gold in their respective categories at the state-level conference, held this past spring. They continued to impress on the national stage.
At the national conference, four Polytech students earned gold:

Alyssa DeBiasio and Heather Kelly in the Focus on Children Event – They created a display board and a presentation depicting a lesson they had previously taught to second grade students at Robert Hunter School on healthy habits for a healthy heart.

Rosa Castaldo and Meadow Jacobson in the Chapter Service Display Event – They presented on a service project they executed for the community titled “The Magic of Reading.” As part of this project, they partnered with Hunterdon County Library to create reading groups for young children. They also tutored students at Desmares Elementary School and taught a lesson for preschoolers at Polytech’s Kinder Magic.

In addition, Madison Trevaskiss took home silver in the Early Childhood Event – She created a resource box prior to competition, which she filled with art and school supplies. On site, she pulled from this box to prepare a 10-minute lesson. She also created a portfolio ahead of time, which she presented to the judges.

“Each of our students impressed the judges with their knowledge, preparation and poise,” said Natalie Guarino, early childhood and Teacher Academy instructor and advisor for Polytech’s FCCLA Chapter. “I am confident that our curriculum provided these students with the foundation to succeed – and truly shine – at nationals, but then the students went the extra mile to prepare and perfect their presentations. I could not be prouder of them.”

The National Conference of the Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) also included workshops, specialized trainings and leadership opportunities for participants.
Learn more about Polytech’s Teacher Academy and Early Childhood Education Program by visiting http://www.hcpolytech.org. /

Hunterdon County Polytech Career and Technical School is the largest component of Hunterdon County Vocational School District (HCVSD). Polytech is the district’s shared-time high school that prepares students for a seamless transition to college and career paths. HCVSD also operates an Adult and Continuing Education school and three science-based high school academies. In addition to the Biomedical Sciences Academy, the other academies include the Computer Science and Applied Engineering Academy and the Environmental Sustainability and Engineering Academy. Learn more at www.hcvsd.org.

Photo Caption: Pictured from left to right (top) at the National Conference of the FCCLA are Polytech students and award winners Madison Trevaskiss, Meadow Jacobson, Alyssa DeBiasio, (bottom) Rosa Castaldo and Heather Kelly.


###