Their hands operate in unison, perfecting their creation of dixie cups and cardboard, swiftly placing tape to cement their work. Sure that it bends in the ways it is supposed to and does not bend in the ways it shouldn’t, they step away from the finished piece and await results. Soon after, they approach the camera as one, grins shining across their faces as the judges voted in their favor.

Freshman Linnie Lee, junior Ka’Leah Williams, freshman Dominique Ware and junior Kris Simington participated in conferences for Family and Career and Community Leaders of America, better known as FCCLA, in Dallas from April 7-9. Although this was where the organization’s state competition took place, these students attended to gain knowledge about fields from finance to clothing construction.

“I liked figuring out how [the conference] worked,” Lee said. “That was my favorite thing. I went to a fashion design conference to learn more about fashion design for next year.”

While not every member of the team partook in the same events, the group combined forces to create a prosthetic leg. They were awarded as having designed the best entry in the contest.

“I knew a lot about prosthetic legs because [of] my grandpa. Right before he passed he got his leg amputated,” Ware said. “I know how a prosthetic leg works and how you assemble it, so it was pretty easy to me.”

Constructing the leg also served as a team building activity for them to grow closer as a club.

“It was nice to communicate with people also in the group because I didn’t know them very well when I first got there,” Lee said. “To actually work together kind of helped us for next year for competition.”

The prosthetic leg challenge was created by a fundraising group for actual prosthetic legs, also selling socks to collect money for their cause. Likewise, Ware looks forward to the good their branch of FCCLA can do for others.

“I’m excited to get to know the members and incoming members so we can build a better community,” Ware said. “Like when we go for our service projects, we get to donate to the orphanage and go help [at] a retirement home. It’s really fun.”

Despite the club’s history at Texas High, it became inactive as quarantine began. It is now back in its infancy, but with half of the convention’s participants being freshmen, they have plenty of time to nourish the organization back into its former glory.

“I’m excited for [the club] to grow,” Lee said. “Maybe next year, it’ll be more than just a conference and we’ll compete in state.”