In its early years, family and consumer sciences education (FACS) was known as home economics. However, as the twentieth century faded, home economics has taken on not only a new name, but also addresses personal finance, healthy relationships, how to balance work and home responsibility, and child development, as well as life skills in the kitchen.
Inola High School recently added a new FACS instructor after the retirement of long-time teacher, Janet Spurlock, in May. Jocelyn Foster joined the Longhorn faculty in August and has had great success in creating a smooth transition for students.
Foster is a graduate from the University of Central Oklahoma, holding a degree in Career, Technical, and Workforce Development - Family and Consumer Science. Married to her high school sweetheart, Foster enjoys travel when she is outside of school. Additionally, Foster works part time at a medical spa in Tulsa.
The professional organization for FACS is Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). This past week, Foster took 44 Inola High students to the district conference. The Inola Chapter was the largest group at the conference.
Foster shared that her goal for the Inola FCCLA is to, “empower each member to be leaders and also encourage them to start thinking about their futures.” As a former FCCLA member when she was in high school, Foster added that, “FCCLA empowered me as a student to see beyond high school; I hope it does the same for my students. It opens the door to many opportunities for students whether it be in high school, college, or trade school. No matter what a student chooses to do after high school, both FACS and FCCLA provide resources and knowledge that can be valuable to them.”