Students Bring Home Top-5 Finishes from FCCLA Nationals

Daniella Rank, Amarra Haines, Lahna Nelson, Faith Horton line up in their red suit jackets outside the FCCLA conference in San Diego.

EFCTS  |  July 21, 2022

Four students from the Culinary Arts program at Eastland Career Center represented their lab and Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools with success at the 2022 Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) national conference in early July. Two students from New Albany High School earned top-5 placements and all four placed inside the top 25 of their respective categories.

Chef Borenstein and Lahna Nelson pose for a picture after she competes at FCCLA nationals.

Recent graduates Lahna Nelson and Daniella Rank, both from New Albany High School, placed inside the top 5 in their events. Nelson competed in the Baking and Pastry category and placed second in the country, overall. Rank, a national champion in 2021, placed third overall in her second year competing in the Culinary Math Management event. Both Nelson and Rank placed second in the state competition held in April.

Faith Horton, a recent graduate from Pickerington North High School, placed 14th in the Leadership category. Amarra Haines, a rising senior from Whitehall-Yearling High School, took 23rd in the Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation event. Both Horton and Haines were state champions in their respective events earlier this year. 

As part of the special events and recognition that occurred throughout the week, Chef Andrew Borenstein was awarded the National Spirit of Advising Award for his work as the adviser of Eastland Career Center’s FCCLA chapter. In June, it was announced that he had won the award on both the state and the national levels.

The FCCLA national conference was held in San Diego, Calif. between June 29 and July 3. 

FCCLA is a career tech student organization that Eastland-Fairfield Culinary Arts students are members of from the beginning of their education at EFCTS. Culinary Arts is one of more than 30 high school programs available at Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools. For more information on the Culinary Arts program at Eastland Career Center or Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools, visit www.EastlandFairfield.com.  

ECC Culinary Arts instructors and students take a break and gather around the dinner table.

About FCCLA Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a national Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education in public and private school through grade 12. FCCLA offers intra-curricular resources and opportunities for students to pursue careers that support families. Since 1945, FCCLA members have been making a difference in their families, careers, and communities by addressing important personal, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. Today, more than 155,000 members from 4,253 chapters are active in a network of associations in 47 states, including Puerto Rico.

About Eastland-Fairfield Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools is the seventh-largest career and technical education district, geographically, in the State of Ohio. We serve more than 5,000 students in 16 school districts throughout Franklin, Fairfield and Pickaway counties. Eastland-Fairfield provides more than 40 programs to over 1,400 high school and adult students. The district has two main campuses — Eastland Career Center in Groveport and Fairfield Career Center in Carroll, with satellite locations at four of our associate high schools: Gahanna Lincoln, Groveport Madison, New Albany, and Pickerington North. 

Founded in 1969. Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools’ mission is to engage, enrich, and equip students every day in every
experience. We prepare students to pursue their life’s next E: Employment, Enlistment, Entrepreneurship, and/or additional Education. Visit us online at www.eastlandfairfield.com and follow us on TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube, and LinkedIn for regular updates, fun content and information.