A group of Mason County High School Family Career and Community Leaders of America students recently visited Washington D.C. in order to advocate for family consumer science funding.
Among the students to visit Washington D.C. were Hannah Applegate, 17, Abigail Spencer, 16, Noah Dunaway, 16, Joshua Coleman, 17, and Olivia O'Hearn, 16.
They were in the nation's capital, Nov. 9-12.
Applegate said FCS is just a newer version of home economics.
"It's what home economics was for the older generation," she said. "The older generation may not know what it is if they hear family consumer science, but that's it."
According to Dunaway, the goal was to make sure FCS was included in a bill for Perkins funding.
"We wanted to advocate that FCS would be added into a bill for Perkins funding. That's the money for technical education, such as agriculture and culinary. Basically, anything at the STEAM academy or culinary school is included in that," he said.
Spencer said the reason the students wanted to advocate for the FCS program was due to the lack of the program's presence in the Perkins bill.
"There was a new bill written that didn't have FCS in the original writing anymore," Spencer said. "The national adviser and everyone else was worried that if it wasn't in the writing that FCS and home economics wouldn't have as much emphasis put on it for funding. We wanted to be able to still have all of that funding to be able to continue what we're doing."
Dunaway said on the first day of arrival, the students discussed what their goal was for the trip.
"The first day, we kind of practiced with other people from all over the nation with FCCLA and talked about what we wanted to express to the representatives and senators."
During their time in the capital, the students talked U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and the staff of other representatives and senators.
"We actually talked to Thomas Massie about the bill and he took us down to the chamber," Dunaway said.
The students were also given an opportunity to ride a train, normally only meant for members of Congress, which goes beneath the House of Representatives.
"We were allowed to ride the train because we were with Thomas Massie," Dunaway said.
O'Hearn, however, was allowed an opportunity to cast a vote for Massie on the chamber floor.
"He took me to the chamber floor and let me cast his vote for a small business bill," she said. "It was so exciting."
According to Coleman, several interns expressed their gratitude to Massie while the students were in the capital.
"Several of the interns said they really liked Thomas Massie," he said. "He was such a great guy and it was a fun experience."
The students said they also participated in an FCCLA challenge. Spencer placed third in one challenge, the FCCLA Knowledge challenge.
All of the students said the experience was eye-opening for them.
"I always knew I wanted to go into medicine, but being there and seeing everything that went on, I realize I have other opportunities," Dunaway said.
"It was important to us to go and meet these people and to see so many people could be so supportive of something we're all so passionate about," Applegate said.
"Massie actually said something funny to me about the opportunities in front of me," Coleman said. "I was considering a major in biology or political science and he told me to go for a major in biology, because 'you don't have to get in arguments every day of your life.'"
Shannon Roberts, adviser for the FCCLA, said the students were able to learn about advocacy and leadership during their time in the capital.
"The kids got to learn how that affects their everyday life here in Mason County," she said. "It was, not only leadership, but also a government history type thing. They learned so much while they were there. It was a national leadership conference. Over 250 people across the country were there. They learned about advocacy and then the whole next day was spent on Capitol Hill."
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