Five Albany High students earn trip to national competition

Five National Representatives with Dr. Kris Foote and Principal Jodi Commerford

Five Albany High School students are beaming bright after earning the opportunity to participate in the national Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Conference in Florida this summer.

At the state conference March 27, eight Albany High students competed in various Students Take Action with Recognition (STAR) events, competitive platforms in which students showcase their skills in chapter and individual projects, leadership abilities and career preparation.

Five of our students finished in the top two in their category, earning the opportunity to attend the national conference:

  • Juniors Matilda Gish, Deavony Halladeen and Olivia Steuer
  • Sophomore Mohima Nus, and
  • Ninth-grader Sarah Naragire-Sengabo

Our Falcons presented projects they had created in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) class "Careers in Health and Human Services," which is taught by Albany High teacher and FCCLA advisor Kris Foote, Ph.D.

This class provides students with an opportunity to explore a variety of career opportunities in the human services field and gain an understanding of the skills and knowledge necessary to work effectively in it. 

Through their projects, our Falcons demonstrated their knowledge and skills by identifying issues related to families, careers or communities, researching those topics and developing projects to advocate for positive change.


At the state event, Gish, Halladeen and Steuer competed in Level 3 STAR events:

  • Halladeen presented "Impact of Interpersonal Communication on Deaf Communities," earning a gold medal and finishing first in the state in Interpersonal Communication to advance to nationals.
  • Gish and Steuer both placed in the top two for Professional Presentation, also advancing to nationals.
    • Steuer placed first in the state for her presentation "How the Implementation of AI Can Be Used in the Field of Psychotherapy and Broaden the Access to Treatment."
    • Gish finished second in the state for her presentation "Remove Body Mass Index (BMI) and Replace with Relative Muscle Index (RMI) AND Body Roundness Indicator (BRI) - To Have a Fuller Picture of Your Body Composition and Fitness."

Halladeen and Gish are pursuing Albany High's CTE pathway in Food, Nutrition and Wellness, while Steuer is focused on the CTE pathway in Human Services.


Five Albany High students also competed in Level 2 STAR events at the state event in March. Niragire-Sengabo and Nus also earned the opportunity to continue on to the national event this summer:

  • Niragire-Sengabo presented "Proposed Creation of Revive Wellness Studios - A Mental Health Facility Targeted Toward the Younger Generation." She finished first in the state in Entrepreneurship.
  • Nus also finished first in the state in the Interpersonal Communication category, presenting "Integrating Cultural Awareness into High School Curriculum." 

Additionally, ninth-grader Lucia Correa presented "The Troubled Teen Industry- Get Rid of Wilderness Camps!" at states. She placed third in the Professional Presentation category and was named an alternate to the national event.

Sophomore Larita Linn ("Exploring Career in Neurosurgery") and ninth-grader Traylani Morales Perez ("What to Expect When Becoming a Registered Nurse") also placed well at the state competition in the Career Investigation category.


You can help our Falcons participate in this thrilling opportunity by giving a donation via , a or by .

to see photos of our amazing Falcons with their medals.

Congratulations to all the students for their outstanding achievements!