Ada Anderson standing with her gold medal at the FCCLA conference in Denver, Colorado

All over Buncombe County Schools (BCS) you will find exceptional students from grades K-12. A.C. Reynolds High School’s (ACRHS) Ada Anderson is just one of the thousands of students excelling inside and outside the classroom. This summer, Ada brought home a gold medal from the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) conference in Denver, Colorado. 

Ada competed in Interior Design, and she says the road to nationals was not easy. 

“Getting to nationals was a challenge,” she said. “It took many months to design and create just the floor plan. After that it took a month to put it all together.”

ACRHS Apparel and Interior Design teacher, Macy Baldwin, describes Ada as a dedicated student who strives to exceed expectations. 

“Ada is a detail oriented student,” Ms. Baldwin explained. “She doesn’t settle for anything less than her personal best. I knew going into the competition, and hearing her presentation, that she would do great.”

Ms. Baldwin is in her third year of teaching and said this is the first time she has had a student win gold. Being a part of this national organization is very near and dear to Ms. Baldwin. 

“FCCLA provides students with opportunities for personal development and preparation for adult life,” she said. “FCCLA is built to prepare young men and women for multiple roles after highschool. By learning practices in Family and Consumer Sciences, students have the opportunity to grow into the fantastic leaders that they strive to be.”

Ada says she has big goals in mind for a successful future. 

“After high school I want to go to a four-year university to study architecture and interior design,” Ada said. “While I have only been in FCCLA for less than a year total, it really has changed my high school experience for the better. I’ve been able to meet new people from not only my county, but all around the country. In addition, I have been able to discover a huge passion of mine and hopefully a future career.”

Student-submitted projects were judged in the Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) event. Twenty students represented Buncombe County Schools in Denver. The other schools present were Charles D. Owen High School, Clyde A. Erwin High, North Buncombe Middle School, and T.C. Roberson High. 

Other gold medal winners were: Andee Carroll, Carris Conner, Mileah Edwards, Mia King, and EmmaTurbyfill of Erwin High School. 

Ada's winning project.