Nacogdoches High School’s Ingrid Cruz earned fifth place Feb. 8 in the Texas Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Region III Leadership Conference in Waco in the Mystery Basket competition, good enough to earn a berth in FCCLA’s state contest in April.
Miley Holman will join Ingrid at the state meet after qualifying in Toys that Teach competition.
The Mystery Basket competition provides contestants with the supplies to create a meal from a single, standard serving portion of a protein, a starch, and a vegetable. Students had to bring their own pots, pans and utensils, along with a portable butane burner.
Ingrid, a senior in Suzanne Duncan’s advanced culinary class at NHS, had 50 minutes to prepare one plated meal after creating a time management plan and menu. She also had to organize her work station before starting.
The final product was evaluated by judges on appearance, taste temperature and texture. Ingrid and the other 18 participants had 20 minutes to clean up their workstations.
In Toys that Teach, Miley and 15 others designed and constructed an original homemade toy for a child that meets the developmental and educational needs for a specific age group – in Miley’s case, a toy for a child that is 12-24 months old. Afterwards, two judges examined the toy as well as a Planning Process Summary Page and Toy Design Worksheet provided by Miley, a junior at NHS.
Ingrid Cruz