After a stellar outing at the Tennessee FBLA State Leadership Conference, Tullahoma High School had 10 students qualify for nationals in Atlanta this June.
To qualify for the National Leadership Conference, students needed to place in the top four of their respective events. The FBLA National Leadership Conference will occur in Atlanta from June 27-30.
While THS students placed highly at the state conference, their adviser received an honor of her own. Valerie Robinson was named the Tennessee FBLA Adviser of the Year during the award ceremony. Robinson has been an FBLA adviser at THS for 17 years and the lead adviser for the last 12 years.
“I was very touched to receive this award, and it was totally unexpected,” Robinson said. “There are so many great FBLA advisers that work tirelessly to provide opportunities and beneficial learning experiences for their students. I want all students to have the opportunity to become involved in something great, and that is what our chapter is all about. Students have the opportunity to become involved in community service, and leadership on our officer team, and compete at the regional, state, and national levels. For some students, our chapter meetings and events provide a way to meet and make new friends.”
Robinson was nominated for Adviser of the Year by her chapter secretary, Peyton Cunningham. The award presentation was made a little more special when Robinson’s daughter, Penny Kell, handed her the award.
“I was so touched by the comments from my chapter secretary, Peyton Cunningham, which were read at the ceremony, and that he took the time to nominate me for this honor,” Robinson said. “FBLA even brought my daughter, Penny, to Chattanooga to present this award to me. I want to thank everyone who congratulated me personally and through social media. Lastly, I want to thank my officer team and all our chapter members for their commitment to FBLA.”
Tullahoma saw seven students take first place in their respective events. Bri Vigil placed first in Client Service, while Kaitlyn Brown finished first in Cyber Security. Brady Welch, Sarah Eakin, Cambree Moyers, and Lilly Villamar teamed to take the top spot in Parliamentary Procedure. Peyton Cunningham and Bri Vigil partnered to add a first-place finish in the American Enterprise Project.
Thomas Anderson placed second in two events at the state leadership conference. He first took second in the Introduction to Business Concepts before finishing second in the Local Chapter Annual Business Report. Anne Duncan also added a second-place finish for Tullahoma following her performance in Cyber Security.
Nick Harris placed third in Computer Problem Solving. Peyton Cunningham added a fourth-place effort in Introduction to Public Speaking. Cambree Moyers and Lilly Villamar teamed to take fourth in the Community Service Project.
Tullahoma had two competitors finish fifth in their respective events. Thompson Phan competed in Broadcast Journalism, and Pazlee Lowe participated in Human Resource Management.
Angelina Robertson finished sixth in Client Service, while Karah Lawrence took sixth in Introduction to Event Planning. Ava Duncan added an eighth-place performance in Introduction to FBLA.
“Once again, our amazing FBLA students at THS have performed at the highest levels against their peers in the state,” said THS Principal Jason Quick. “The number of state finishers is remarkable and shows our students’ talent. The direction of Ms. Robinson has allowed them to take their talents and chase excellence. This is just one of the many reasons Ms. Robinson was deservedly named the Tennessee FBLA Adviser of the Year this year. FBLA continues to allow our students to shine.”
