FCCLA preparations for the 2019 State Leadership Conference are in full swing. Competitors participate in workshops every Tuesday to build their presentations, which they will deliver to this chapter on March 1. The competition will take place March 7-9 at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie.

“At every meeting, we’re basically updating everyone on what the state standards are, T-shirts, food, transportation, that sort of thing,” Margaret O’Connor, FCCLA president and senior, said.

“We have a really big group this year compared to last year. I think we have 20 more kids than last year, so there are a lot of new people who might not know what to expect,” she said.

Besides the competition, O’Connor said she has several other tasks at the state conference. She said she is organizing a dinner reception for the sponsors and teachers. “I’m just doing a lot of helping out in general, whether it’s with the competition or with other events,” she said.

Sponsor Nancy Spencer said, “The competitors already selected their events in November, so they pretty much know what they’re doing.

“We’ve been looking forward to this (the conference) for the whole year.”

O’Connor said this chapter is also collecting Pop Tabs for the Ronald McDonald house while members prepare for the conference. “It’s a really busy time for us,” she added.