Families First 2025 Program Awards
Families First is a program of FCCLA National, supported by USEP-OHIO, which benefits student chapters in Ohio first and then nationally. By supporting the update of an existing FCCLA National curriculum, USEP–OHIO offers Ohio students and teachers the excitement of helping create a great new tool that Ohio students and FCCLA Chapters can experience first, then available to the whole FCCLA family of student chapters.
Below are projects from schools that participated in the 2025 Families First program, including the winning projects in the Core and ECE categories, and scholarship winner.Â
CORE Category Winners
First Place Winner
"Building Stronger Futures Together"
Black River High School
Adviser: Jennifer Demczyk
Second Place Winner
"Be Safe Fairview"
Fairview High School
Adviser: Jill Speiser
Third Place Winner
"Little Learners, Big Discoveries: Families Stem Day!"
Cambridge High School
Adviser: Alaina Tharp
ECE Category Winners
First Place Winner
"Be Safe Fairview"
Fairview High School
Adviser: Jill Speiser
Second Place Winner
"Ollie Otter Visits Miami View Elementary"
Southeastern High School
Adviser: Michael Riveria
Third Place Winner
"Building Stronger Futures Together"
Black River High School
Adviser: Jennifer Demczyk
Scholarship Winner
2025 FCCLA NLC Scholarship Recipient
Anna Budd
Miami East High School
Additional 2025 Program Entries
USEP-OHIO thanks all of these groups for their very thoughtful entries.
Families First Project Information:
Upcoming FCCLA Families First Program information:
- USEP-OHIO Families First Initiative applications will be released early this fall with specific detailed information provided by National FCCLA
- Contact Mary Jo Kohl, Grant Oversight, at mjkohl1973@gmail.com to enroll and for more information
- The statewide exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, at the Statehouse complex in Columbus and at other conferences where possible
- Winning projects are announced to teachers during the annual conference of OATFACS, the Ohio Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Science in Columbus
- USEP-OHIO has graciously agreed to support the rewrite of Student Body to be released in August of 2026
- Ohio will then focus three years on Student Body projects
- We will still encourage the use of Families First Projects, as well
For additional questions contact: Cindy McKay, USEP-OHIO Executive Director, at cljfmckay@msn.com