STAR Events are individual or team-based competitions experiences designed to help students apply leadership and career skills in real-world scenarios.
STAR stands for Students Taking Action with Recognition.
STAR Events may be:
Cooperative - Teams work together collaboratively to identify and solve a problem.
Individualized - Students independently plan and complete a project or task.
Competitive - Individuals or teams are evaluated using established rubrics and criteria.
Competitive Events are the most popular annual FCCLA activity.
There are separate events within each of the four pathways and for each age level from middle school through postsecondary:
Level 1 - Members through grade 8
Level 2 - Members in grades 9 and 10
Level 3 - Members in grades 11 and 12
Level 4 - Postsecondary members
NOTE: Students in ONLY in Level 3 (Grades 11 and 12) are eligible for scholarships.
FCCLA STAR Events take place each year at the regional, state, and national levels.
Students can compete as individuals or in teams in over 30 different STAR events, each of which tests knowledge and skills related to families, careers, and communities.
There are STAR competitions in fields ranging from Baking and Pastry to Early Childhood Education and from Fashion Design to Public Policy Advocacy.
In each event, students can advance from the regional level, to the state and national levels.
Students can show their skills in FCS is through demonstration events. Skill demonstration Events take place each year during the FCCLA National Conference.
Students can show their skills in FCS is through online challenge tests. Online Challenge Tests take place virtually prior to the FCCLA National Conference.
Each skills demonstration and online challenge test is open to students at Levels 1, 2, and 3 of FCCLA, welcoming students from middle school through their senior year of high school.
Examples of Skill Demonstration Events include:
Culinary Food Art
Culinary Knife Skills
Fashion Sketch
Impromptu Speaking
Interviewing Skills
Technology in Teaching
Students can show their skills in FCS is through online challenge tests.
Online Challenge Tests take place virtually prior to the FCCLA National Conference.
Each skills demonstration and online challenge test is open to students at Levels 1, 2, and 3 of FCCLA, welcoming students from middle school through their senior year of high school.
Examples of Online Challenge Tests:
Consumer and Culinary Math Challenge
Early Childhood Challenge
Education and Training Challengee
Fashion Construction and Design Challenge
FCCLA Knowledge Challenge
Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation Challenge
Interior Design Challenge
Nutrition Challenge
Science in FCS Challenge
The FCCLA/LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl is a quiz competition that tests students' knowledge in Family and Consumer Sciences.
In a tournament-style competition, judges ask students questions from six content areas:
Personal Finance
Consumer Rights and Responsibilities
Technology
Health and Safety
Environment
FCCLA Knowledge
The top 40 teams advance to the FCCLA National Fall Conference. From there, the top 16 teams compete in the finals at the National Leadership Conference the following spring, where a champion is crowned.
The FCCLA "Knowledge Matters Virtual Business Challenge" encourages students to develop skills by using FCCLA's Virtual Business classroom software. Students work in teams in a simulated environment in either a personal finance or fashion management challenge.
Using on an online scoring system, each team is ranked with others across the company, with the top three teams in the country receiving cash prizes.
One of the biggest benefits of participating in FCCLA is the possibility of earning awards and scholarships for further education. Regardless of whether they receive an award from an FCCLA affiliate, students can use their experience to apply for scholarships at the institutions of their choice.
Participants in competitive events are eligible to receive scholarships and awards from leading external organizations.
While not administered by FCCLA itself, several professional organizations, culinary schools, and universities offer national scholarships and awards to students. There are also opportunities to earn scholarships at the state level.
Currently, these organizations offer awards and scholarships to FCCLA competitors:
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary School of Fort Worth
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Johnson and Wales University
National Association of Parliamentarians
Sullivan University