Leakey ISD Chapter of FCCLA Sends Care Packages to Troops in Afghanistan
by Leakey ISD Webmaster
October 10, 2009
10/26/2009-News Release-Leakey Independent School District-Fred R. McNiel, Superintendent
Leakey ISD Chapter of FCCLA Sends Care Packages to Troops in Afghanistan
The Leakey ISD chapter of the Family, Career & Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), under the direction of their sponsor, Pam Sysak, is off to another great year. This is the fourth year that secondary students at Leakey ISD have had the opportunity to take Home Economics (HE) courses and participate in the FCCLA. The HE department at Leakey ISD was dismantled in 2002 after longtime HE teacher; Faye Caldwell retired from the Leakey ISD faculty. In 2005 the school purchased the Bonner home, across the street from the Leakey United Methodist Church and this structure was remodeled extensively and has served as the homemaking cottage, ever since. Ironically, Mrs. Caldwell agreed to come out of retirement in 2006 and she was instrumental in getting home economics back in the curriculum at Leakey ISD. After one year Mrs. Caldwell retired again and Mrs. Pam Sysak was hired to continue building the LISD home economics program.
This year, forty-five (45) secondary students are taking home economics classes and are members of the FCCLA. Chapter officers have been elected and Louisa Escobedo, is serving as president. Other officers include: Breanda Bailey; 1st Vice President, Jacquelyn Blevins; Vice President of Community Service, Valeria Gonzalez; Treasurer, and Ethan Blackman and John Patrick Ellisor; Vice President’s of Public Relations.
The first community service project this year took place on Saturday, September 19th. Mrs. Sysak, along with FCCLA members, Toby Pitts, Yasmeen Perez, and Hayley Bates participated in the Friends of the Frio annual Frio River clean-up! The sponsor and students reported that they had a lot of fun and that they collected many bags of trash from the banks of the Frio River!
The next community service project was led by seventh grader, Lauren Fletcher. Lauren suggested that the FCCLA send care packages to the U.S. troops serving overseas. Lauren and her mother, Mechelle Hood, approached several local Leakey businesses and citizens and asked them to sponsor a box to be sent to the troops. The Leakey Star, The First State Bank of Uvalde and Sandy Lynam, Charles Lynam Construction, Annie Guinn, the Langtry Hubbard family and Jeanie Boatright all paid for a box and the postage needed to mail the box overseas.
FCCLA member Hayley Bates has a cousin serving in Afghanistan. His name is Matthew Jones. Hayley informed Mrs. Sysak that there were twenty-five (25) men serving in her cousin’s unit so the FCCLA members began to collect items to put in the boxes. In the boxes the soldiers will find; beef jerky, chocolate chip cookies, (made by the home economics students), hard candies, playing cards, stuffed animals and letters of encouragement and thanks written by the home economics students and Leakey ISD fourth grade students. The FCCLA members hope that these care packages will bring a smile to the US soldiers while they are serving our country in a very dangerous situation. In the photo above the FCCLA officers stand behind the care boxes they have packed. The students are: (left to right) Valeria Gonzalez, Hayley Bates, Jacquelyn Blevins, Louisa Escobedo, Toby Pitts, and Ethan Blackman.
On Saturday, October 10th the FCCLA members conducted a bake and craft sale in front of the Canyon Charm store. The money that was raised will be used to help cover the cost of the care packages sent to the soldiers. The administration of Leakey ISD is pleased at the progress that the home economics department has made over these past three years and wishes to thank FCCLA sponsor and Leakey ISD home economics teacher, Pam Sysak, for all her hard work and dedication to the students of Leakey ISD!