Last week, Manhattan High’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter hosted their rush week dedicated to not only attracting and initiating new members but supporting club spirit and promoting club values.

FCCLA is a national club that stresses student activity in schools and communities, inspiring students to explore different fields of leadership as well as family and consumer sciences. FCCLA hosts a number of activities as well as opening the door to different scholarships for members.

“It’s about attracting new members to the club,” Niya Thomas, two-year FCCLA member, said. “We’re a pretty small chapter and the more we can get the word out about FCCLA and all the benefits and fun things we do, the better. It also gets the school involved with FCCLA more.”

The week’s activities were split up by day, with each day having its own FCCLA theme. On Monday, club members wore red, the national color of FCCLA, or the MHS FCCLA T-shirt to show support for the MHS chapter. Members also went around to club sponsor Heide Rippert’s FACs classes to recruit new members.

“We got more members which is really great, I think we got more than ten new members,” Gabe Martinez, FCCLA Vice President of membership, said. “It looks like with the new members, we will gain more people to help with the club and expand it. It will also allow us to do more within the community as well.”

On Tuesday, the club did a courtyard cleanup for MHS and hosted an ice cream social afterwards for FCCLA members, encouraging club bonding and community service and leadership, two major values of FCCLA. Wednesday during Advisory, club-meeting time was devoted to FCCLA knowledge time for new and old members.

Thursday, FCCLA decided to show the sweeter side of fundraising by selling lollipops to MHS students during lunch to help pay club dues and support the trips the group will be taking as the year goes on. Finally, on Friday and Saturday, the club wrapped up their week by again wearing FCCLA red and doing some community service, setting up hospitality rooms for the referees of the J.V. volleyball tournament.

FCCLA rush week is more than just a time for members to reflect on the meaning of FCCLA and the pride they hold for their club, but it is also bundle of enjoyable activities for members and non-members alike in the hopes of inspiring students to join FCCLA to better the community.

“With new members and involvement with school we can just be more productive as a club like do more things in the community and spread the knowledge of people in FCCLA and what it’s about,” Thomas said. “In FCCLA we do a lot of things in the community to promote leadership in all areas. With more involvement with the school we can learn and teach more about how to be a great leader and having more members will help with this.”