Student of the Week: Three Forks’ Hannah DeLaittre

Hannah DeLaittre has always had passion for her hometown of Three Forks. When she got to high school, it was a natural fit that she joined FCCLA - or Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. “We’re the only student lead organization with the focus of family first,” said senior Hannah DeLaittre. “We do a lot of community projects, service projects and stuff like that.” The emphasis at Three Forks has been on traffic safety since 2007 and not just for adults. DeLaittre also volunteers her time teaching kiddos the basics, too. “We focused on bike safety this time for the little ones,” said DeLaittre. “As we work our way up with the grades, we’re going to do a Mario Kart tournament for the high schoolers. It just keeps them interested in traffic safety and being able to focus on what safety really is.” On top of continually building her town up, FCCLA has also helped her in more ways than one. “Social skills is the top because I used to be super awkward so it’s kind of nice to be able to talk to people,” said DeLaittre. “How to prioritize giving back to the community while also staying on top of your grades, work, and stuff like that.” “I see her as a leader,” said Three Forks FCCLA adviser Cathe Felz. “She’s always had those leadership skills but I think FCCLA has given her the opportunity to practice those skills in a safe environment. She’s kind of pulled kids into our FCCLA program because of just the person that she is. ” Another recent project that DeLaittre has been a part of is installing silhouettes next to the football stadium to remind parents, fans, and students alike that accidents do happen but so many of them are preventable. Of course, it all comes back to being part of her community. “We have a lot of connections,” said DeLaittre. “When we go to nationals we’ll have people be like ‘Oh, let me donate money. It’s such a good cause.’ It’s because we created that relationship that they know that we’ll give back and that we’re doing good things in the community.” DeLaittre recently received a grant to travel to Minneapolis at the end of the month to learn more about traffic safety and how to teach it moving forward. After that she’s off to Sheridan College to pursue a career as a dental hygienist.