WORLAND - A Worland High School teacher has been recognized at the state level for her community service projects.

Worland High School family and consumer science teacher and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) advisor Brenda Trippel was recognized by the Washakie County School District No. 1 Board last month for earning the Wyoming Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Science Carl Perkins Community Service Award.

Trippel said the WATFACS is a sub group of the Wyoming Association of Career and Technical Educators. By being a community service award winner for the Wyoming Association of Family and Consumer Science Teachers, Trippel is now eligible for the Wyoming Association of Career and Technical Educators community service award. That award will be announced next summer with the winner chosen among all division winners.

That winner, Trippel said, advances to the national level for a community service award.

Trippel said, "We do a lot of community service both in classes, and through the FCCLA chapter at Worland High School. The award is basically a recognition of the community service that we are able to do with the students are Worland High School."

She said, "I am honored to have received the award from my division which consists of other amazing FACS teachers. I do feel that helping young people know the power they can have for good, to help others, is vitally important. Many of the projects come from suggestions from the students, something/someone that they know needs help."

Community service is something that has been a long part of Trippel's life. "I was raised on doing community service through 4-H and my church. One of my earliest memories was selling Easter Seals outside a grocery store with my mother," she said.

Trippel added that regarding her service projects for the students, "I try to have the students think both locally and globally and our service projects reflect this. I think it is important to help those who are near us, but also to be aware of people who are in need but are far away.  Examples of this approach would be raising money both for the local food bank and also for Feed the Children (a national organization)."

She said, I basically try to give them options, especially if its FCCLA, and go the direction they want to go." For class, she said she often has a project already lined up.

And the classes and FCCLA don't waste time getting started. FCCLA's first service project this year is collecting funds to help victims of the hurricanes in Texas, Florida and South Carolina.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS

Some community service projects are local, some raise awareness and some are sponsored by the National FCCLA organization.

Among the community service projects through WHS family and consumer science class and the Family and Career and Community Leaders of America are:

CULINARY:

-Museum Soup and Cookie Fair. Classes make at least four gallon of chicken noodle soup, 30 dozen cookies and six to 10 students helped serve soup.

-Museum's Pearl Harbor Memorial Event. Classes made soup and cookies and helped serve.

-Cookies for Festival of Trees. Students made 70 dozen cookies.

-Library's Downton Abby Tea. Students helped serve.

-Gorgeous Gals. Students made desserts and helped serve.

FASHIONS AND FABRICS:

-Dresses for Africa. Students make dresses to send to Africa to help children be properly clothed so they can attend school.

-Operation Christmas Box. Students made blankets to give to children of service men and women at Christmas.

-World of Children: Students help teach children from Worland Preschool for about three months each year Students have helped elementary students with reading.

FCCLA:

-Local Food Bank. The chapter collects money from jars placed at local businesses and collects items (e.g. paper towels) to donate to the Worland Food Bank.

-Victims of Violence. The chapter collects items needed for this program.

-Christmas Carols at Beehive

-Bully Prevention Awareness.

-Relationship Violence Awareness.

-New Hope Humane Society's Fur Ball. Chapter members helped serve at that function.

-Red Cross. The chapter collected funds to donate.

-Unsung Heroes. The chapter recognized members of the staff who don't always get appreciation such as the paraeducators.

-Sockotober. The chapter collected socks for people in homeless shelters.

-Soles for Souls. The group collected shoes for this program which distributes the shoes to people in need (often in disaster areas).

-Cancer victims--raised money to help local cancer victims and help with the Hoops for Hope events.

-Feed the Children. This a national program to help hungry children across the country. The chapter helped raised funds for this.

-Sponsored a child in Zimbabwe to help him attend school by selling bracelets. Trippel said they sold the most bracelets of any chapter in the state of Wyoming.