Biddison competes in state FCCLA competition

Biddison competes in state FCCLA competition News Staff Tue, 04/30/2024 - 4:31 pm   Isabelle Biddison’s cupcake display, entitled “County Fair Cupcakes,” at the FCCLA State Leadership Conference held April 12 in Dallas. Contributed photo/Debbie Parker By Mike Williams news@breckenridgeamerican.com Breckenridge High School has experienced success all across the state of Texas. The latest example took place Friday, April 12 at the state FCCLA competition. Freshman Isabelle Biddison, a Family and Consumer Science student at BHS, took part in the Cupcake Presentation competition. Ahead of the competition, Biddison had to come up with a theme and recipe that fit within the guidelines and represented by her theme. “She had to demonstrate knowledge of food safety as she planned so there were certain icing topping that would not transport without refrigeration,” BHS FCS teacher Debbie Parker said. “There were certain things she could use and could not use in her display such as no additional food items were allowed. She had to use the FCCLA planning process as she developed answers that reflected her goals. At the competition, she had five minutes to set up her display and five minutes to prepare her oral presentation.” Her display could not be larger than two feet by three feet and following the presentation she was required to answer questions from the judges. Students are scored on her presentation, responses to questions, recipe and adherence to the guidelines. Any guideline broken results in a deduction to her overall score. Biddison finished in eighth place, competing against the top-five winners from five regions in Texas with schools ranging from 1A to 6A. “Isabelle is an outstanding student and individual,” Parker said. “She has a very focused work ethic and a high standard for success. She asked many questions regarding the guidelines and we had to go back and visit guidelines regularly.” Parker said there are multiple pathways in FCS and the culinary pathway is taught at BHS. This pathway includes four classes: Introduction to Culinary, Culinary Arts, Advanced Culinary Arts and Practicum in Culinary Arts. “Each of the classes builds on one another,” Parker said. “In Introduction to Culinary, we learn about employability skills. ... We learn cooking terms, tools, measurements, and ingredients. We learn how to modify recipe quantities. ... Right now, we are developing our own restaurants. With each additional year, we continue to practice all the above skills and we put our skills to test in the kitchens regularly. In Advanced Culinary and Practicum, the students cook weekly.” This allows students to participate in FCCLA which provides students the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of leadership activities. Parker said she encourages her students to research more about what interests them and participate in three or four areas of competition. “Being an active member in FCCLA gives students opportunities that might not happen otherwise,” Parker said. “The students get to travel together, develop friendships, prepare for competition, set goals and put those wheels in motion, collaborate ideas and have fun together. FCCLA is an opportunity for the students to try new things and be challenged to meet certain standards.” Parker said Biddison has excelled in the program as a freshman, stating that her success comes from passion and a little help from her family. “Isabelle has spent many years perfecting her culinary craft. She has spent countless hours on her own baking cinnamon rolls, making fudge, and many other wonderful baked goods,” Parker said. “Her baking name is ‘Izzy’s Sweets.’ Baking is her passion. She has been taught through the years by her mother and grandmother. I know that her grandmother was instrumental in helping her find a recipe that fit her competition theme. It is definitely a family passion and a way to be creative together.” News Log in to post comments