Provided by PWCS
Forest Park High School’s Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter has received an $8,000 Lead4Change grant to expand Roots of a Bruin, a student mentoring partnership with Ashland Elementary School that uses gardening, culinary education, and leadership development to connect high school and elementary students.
“The Forest Park FCCLA chapter demonstrates what Lead4Change is designed to inspire: high school students applying what they learned in family and consumer sciences classes through service-oriented projects that strengthen community connections,” said Christine Good, supervisor of Career and Technical Education for Prince William County Public Schools.
The grant builds on Roots of a Bruin, a Forest Park High service-learning initiative where high school students mentor elementary students through hands-on lessons.
“Our partnership with Ashland Elementary started two years ago,” explained Susan Gonzalez, family and consumer sciences teacher at Forest Park. “Helping young students build confidence, teamwork, and communication skills through fun, hands-on experiences like Cupcake Wars inspired us to expand the branches of Roots of a Bruin, which ultimately led to receiving the Lead4Change grant.”
Gonzalez said the funding will support a learning garden, expanded culinary and nutrition activities, mentoring resources and community events. More importantly, she said, it gives students opportunities to lead through service.
“My goal is for students to leave my classroom with confidence, leadership skills and a heart for serving others,” Gonzalez said. “Roots of a Bruin is about growing leaders, cultivating community, and creating opportunities for students to learn by serving others.”
Sophomore Farmuda Wafa said that FCCLA appealed to her because it offered meaningful ways to serve others.
“When I heard Mrs. Gonzalez talking about FCCLA and the different ways we could volunteer, help others, and make a difference in the community, I knew I wanted to join,” Wafa said.
“It makes me feel good to mentor younger students and make them feel seen and important,” said Forest Park senior Madelyn LeVasseur. She hopes to teach elementary students “that they matter within their community” while helping them develop teamwork and basic cooking skills.
Another Forest Park senior, Steve Chavez-Palacios, shared that family and consumer sciences courses teach practical skills that are increasingly important.
“Family and consumer science classes allow students to learn, practice, and hone essential abilities that will inevitably become important to them and their families in adulthood,” Chavez-Palacios said.
Lead4Change is a national student leadership program that helps students identify community needs and develop service-learning projects while building leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
