First-place win lands Furbee at nationals

BLOOMINGDALE -- Jefferson County Joint Vocational School alum Paige Furbee is poised to join thousands of teens from across the country for the national Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Conference June 29 through July 3 in Seattle.

Furbee, daughter of Mike and Danielle Furbee of Bergholz, is a recent graduate from her home school of Edison Local. She took part in the JVS early childhood education program her junior and senior years.

Furbee will take her gold medal and travel to the Pacific Northwest following her first-place finish in the early childhood education category at the Ohio FCCLA Leadership Conference in April.

FCCLA is a national career and technical student organization that provides personal growth, leadership development and career preparation opportunities for students in family and consumer sciences education.

The event in Seattle is expected to attract 7,000 students and advisers. Furbee will travel with instructor Rebecca Kelley and her family members as she takes part in activities at the Seattle Conference Center. She expressed how ecstatic she was for the opportunity.

"I'm really excited," she began. "I went to the leadership conference last year but didn't compete. I've never experienced that and have never been to Seattle. I think it will be really fun."

Furbee recalled state competition entailed creating a lesson plan in 20 minutes and presenting it before judges.

She said her time at the JVS has readied her for the future, which includes plans to become a preschool aide.

"It has taught me so many things and we get so many opportunities," she commented. "It really prepares you."

Also making a strong showing at the state competition were Alaina Ensminger, who earned a silver medal in language and literacy and placed sixth out of 10 in her category; and the team of juniors Hannah Sherbondy and Raeni Kerr, who gained gold in lesson presentation, placing fourth out of 10 in their category.

"It was my first time at state," Ensminger said. "I was pretty glad to get silver. It was a good experience." Her hope is to become a substitute teacher.

Sherbondy and Kerr were equally excited with their results.

"I'm glad we placed as high as we did," Sherbondy said. "We were pretty proud and it's a big accomplishment." She and Kerr stated they want careers in education, as they have gained a lot of experience at the JVS.

"It's very hands-on and you get to interact with kids," Kerr said. "It's a great learning experience. I know I want to work with children."

Kelley was pleased to see Furbee advance to the nationals, saying the JVS has sent a participant to the competition the last three years. She noted how she is proud of the students who performed well at the state level.

"It's an honor to be part of Paige's journey and watching her grow over the last two years, Kelley concluded. "I'm so excited to see what her future holds. I'm proud of all of them and they did their best."