MONTEREY, La. &045; Trying to keep teenage drivers safe and competing in the Family Career and Community Leaders of America state convention have been the goals of Monterey High School junior Adam Philley Jr. this year.

Philley was recently awarded the distinction of vice president over STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) events &045; a competition for FCCLA members for his strides in safe driving.

&uot;For Adam to go to nationals is an extreme honor for us and him,&uot; said Diana Thornhill, advisor of FCCLA and a home economics teacher at Monterey.

STAR events include 15 separate competitions that FCCLA members can choose from to research and present to classes and in public forums.

Issues addressed by Monterey FCCLA members included violence, abused children, entrepreneurship, applied technology and safe driving.

Philley presented his topic to the FCCLA delegation members and the voting delegation and answered a fact sheet about FCCLA and a situation question.

After beating out 10 other statewide candidates for vice president, Philley will now organize star events at the state level at the FCCLA National Convention held in June in Philadelphia.

Philley is currently attempting to raise the $1,100 it will cost to attend the convention.

Thornhill said the competition was a valuable experience for all the students. &uot;It allowed them to speak in front of a group and give them confidence,&uot; Thornhill said.

Monterey has about 50 FCCLA members and about four or five competed, Thornhill said. Some other schools have 600 members that Monterey competed against, she said.

As president of FCCLA, Philley also focused his efforts on competing and encouraging other members to compete as well.

Thornhill said that next year she hopes there will be an FCCLA member in each of the 15 competitions. &uot;This is the most competitive school, but it’s wonderful,&uot; Thornhill said.

Jan Bostic, the STAR events state coordinator, said Philley is the first officer to win on the state level from Monterey since the 1990s. Before then, the last state honor was won in the 1950s.

Bostic said she helped Philley before the competition by listening to his speeches &045; and by praying for him.

&uot;Adam is a doer and a leader,&uot; Bostic said.

Bostic said that FCCLA was once called the Future Homemakers of America, but that was changed to bring the organization into the millennium.

&uot;It’s not just cooking and sewing,&uot; Bostic said.

FCCLA chapter projects focus on a variety of youth concerns, including teen pregnancy, parenting, family relationships, substance abuse, peer pressure, environment, nutrition and fitness, teen violence and career exploration.

FCCLA has a national membership of about 22,000 students in 8,000 chapters. Since its founding in 1945, FCCLA has involved more than 90 million youth.

Besides being actively involved in FCCLA, Philley also maintains a 4.0 grade point average, is a member of numerous other school clubs, is minister of music at Jonesville Baptist Church and is active in the Natchez Little Theatre.