Fayette students win essay, Japanese Showcase, career honors

The Optimist Club of Lexington, which was chartered in June 2019, launched its essay contest in 2020

“Our club is delighted to recognize Mr. Gilligan for his achievement in this unusual year,” said club President Sean Smith, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We look forward to being represented at the district level by his work.”

Meanwhile, a senior at Lafayette High School, Irene Zheng, earned the top prize in the

Irene Zheng

eighth annual Japanese Speech Contest/Skit Presentation Showcase for her speech “My special memory.”

Fifteen students from across the Commonwealth participated in the 2021 event, which went virtual under COVID-19 restrictions.

The showcase is designed for students in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee who are learning Japanese.

And finally, a dozen FCCLA club members from Beaumont Middle School earned kudos in the 2021 STAR state contests (Students Taking Action with Recognition), and all 12 qualified for nationals this summer.

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is an organization for students taking Family and Consumer Sciences courses. Its members develop leadership through community service and design career projects for competitive events. During the March 25 virtual state conference, the Beaumont students learned they had received first or second place, which advances them to the June 27 – July 1 National Leadership Conference in Nashville. Congratulations to all:

• Career Investigations, 2^nd place: DeLeigha Cummins
• Chapter Service Project Display, 1^st place: Maggie Barnes, Elizabeth Glass, and Alexis Goldie
• Food Innovations, 1^st place: Logan Albritton and Reagan Hammond
• National Program in Action, 1^st place: Lilly Beall and McKay Coulter
• Professional Presentation, 1^st place: Katelyn Knox
• Repurpose and Redesign, 1^st place: Brewer Conley, Katie Ray, and Tess Thompson

“It took an incredible amount of time, commitment, and many Zoom meetings for these students to pull off their STAR event virtually,” said club adviser Anna Sullinger. “We are the only school in FCPS that had students compete. That shows the grit our students have for rising to the challenge and breaking down barriers.”