Brown strikes gold in California

MEEKER |  Jordan Brown, who will be a junior this year at Meeker High School, qualified for the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) National Leadership Conference at the Colorado state leadership conference this past April, with teammates Elissa McLaughlin and Sage Chapin.McLaughlin and Chapin, who won a gold medal at the FCCLA national leadership conference in 2007, had recently returned from Europe and did not attend the the national leadership conference in Anaheim, Calif., leaving Brown to present their project; Focus on Children, by herself. She earned a gold medal for her effort.“They give a 15-minute speech to judges and present their project,” chaperone Becky Ridings said of Brown’s feat.Incoming seniors Kathryn Doll, Katie Morgan and Annie Cook earned a silver medal at the national conference for they recycling project.Incoming sophomore Aly Ridings presented her project without classmates/teammates Taylor Neilson and Piper Haney and also won a silver medal. Sophomores Shelby Burke and Dannon Bolton won a bronze for their project at the national conference. Amanda Kendall, who will be a junior this year, did not present her project to judges but was part of the “Spotlight on projects,” displaying her project for everyone in attendance. Kendall’s mother Kim was also a chaperone on the trip.Ridings said more than 7,000 kids from all 50 states attended the five-day, national conference in sunny California.“We went to see Mickey (Mouse) and to the beach,” Ridings said. “I didn’t want to come back, it was wonderful.”