Sewanhaka students become leaders, virtually

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The students in Sewanhaka’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America club have always focused on their futures by learning personal and professional skills they will need as adults, but this year the students in grades seven through 12 have also learned leadership skills first-hand, as they have taken the helm in deciding which organizations to support, how they would conduct their fundraisers and which topics to discuss at their Friday meetings.

“They pretty much blow me away,” Club Advisor Daisy Amaris, a teacher in the school’s Family and Consumer Sciences program, said of the 18 club members, all of whom are learning remotely this year. “They’re just hungry to do things.”

Over the past few months, the FCCLA members have held TED Talks and professional development programs, and just recently, its members made Valentine’s Day cards for local hospital employees and raised money for the BAARK Animal Rescue in Valley Stream. As part of the fundraiser, students at the school could share a photograph of their dogs for $1 and enter a raffle for prizes. It raised a total of $80 for the organization over the course of a week.

“We’re doing what we have to each week,” said Secretary Feba Saji.

The club falls under the school’s Family and Consumer Sciences program, and its members are able to compete in various Students Taking Action with Recognition events, encompassing environmental awareness research, hospitality, public speaking and career-related projects, at the state and national level each year.

“It’s probably one of the most underrated clubs at Sewanhaka,” said member Steiger Devil, with others adding that it has helped them learn valuable career skills, meet new friends and “come out of their shells.”