By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

When Goessel High School sophomore Kaleigh Guhr chose childhood obesity as her Family, Career and Community Leaders of America topic, her goal was to inspire children to adopt healthier habits.

“It’s OK to eat the cookies and brownies once in a while, but not every time you need a snack,” she said.

Her project included working with Goessel preschoolers and kindergarteners in the hopes of laying the foundation for a healthy lifestyle, Kaleigh said.

“That’s why I wanted to do the younger age,” she said. “With STAR events you need a main focus. My main problem was childhood obesity, so I was saying, ‘you need to keep doing this so it doesn’t happen in the future.’ ”

While she’ll have two fellow Goessel students participating in the conference, Kaleigh will present on her own.

“That’s a little more nerve-wracking, but I’m used to it from district and state,” she said. “I think I’ll be OK.”

The three students will be participating in Students Taking Action with Recognition event competitions. Competitors are recognized for their work in chapter and individual projects, leadership skills, and for preparation for their careers.

The other Goessel students attending the conference are seniors Brooke Nafziger and Bea Gaeddert, who are focusing on mental health.

They worked under the Student Body program, and with community leaders, to teach students how to love themselves while dealing with mental health concerns, and how to be supportive of a friend struggling.

The June 30 conference in Anaheim, California will be Kaleigh’s first time on the West Coast, which makes her nervous.

FCCLA competitors will give oral presentations along with visual aid at their respective conferences.

In addition to her presentation, Brooke will serve as one of eight officers for the Kansas FCCLA state organization.

While reaching the national level in her first year sets the bar high for Kaleigh, that isn’t her focus.

“That doesn’t matter to me as much if I just go and do my best,” she said.