Chattooga’s Bonnano finished third in nation, 1st in southern region

The FCCLA National Leadership Conference was held in Atlanta recently. There were 6,500 advisers and close to 20,000 members at the National Conference. Chattooga High School had one student qualify to attend the conference in Atlanta, Blake Bonnano.

Bonnano competed in the Interpersonal Communications, senior category. His project focus was on communication skills of those in marriages of 50 years or longer. He placed 1st at Region and 1st in State earlier in the year, securing his trip to the National competition.  

Bonnano placed 3rd Nationally and 1st in the entire southern region. His project focused on individuals who have been married over 50 years and how they effectively communicate. He worked with his maternal grandparents who have been married 55 years. He celebrated their marriage and researched their early years and began to see his grandparents as individuals who loved each other as teenagers. “He spoke with his mom and her siblings about their role as parents versus the role as grandparents to truly see how the had grown in communication over the years. Such a sweet project,” Kayla Hartline said. Hartline is the FCCLA Advisor at Chattooga High School.

“Blake has had such dedication to this project and it shows! He truly cares about his school, community and family. He is truly a gentleman. I am so proud of the impact and growth he has achieved using skills learned from FCCLA,” Hartline said.