Thirty-five TCS students qualified for the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference this summer after strong performances at the state conference in Chattanooga earlier this month.
“Our FBLA programs continue to amaze me,” said TCS Director of Schools, Dr. Catherine Stephens. “As a district, we had 30 students qualify for nationals last year, and we now have 35 students who earned their way this year. I’m extraordinarily proud of these students and their advisers for their dedication, and I cannot wait to see how they do at the National Leadership Conference.”
Students needed to place in the top four of their respective competitions to qualify for nationals. West Middle School saw all 24 of its state participants earn seats in the National Leadership Conference, while Tullahoma High School also had 11 students qualify for nationals. This year’s National Leadership Conference will take place in Orlando, Florida, from June 29 to July 2.
West Middle School had 11 students become state champions in nine events. Anna Milhahn, Brody Sintic, and Claire Patton teamed up to take first place in Exploring Business Issues. Trenton Clark took first place in Exploring Economics. William Dawe placed first in FBLA Concepts. Georgia Quick finished first in Learning Strategies. Levi Jones took first place in Financial Literacy. Nola Marshall added a first-place effort in Interpersonal Communication. Brayton Arant placed first in Exploring Technology. Sadie Massingille took first in Career Exploration, while Samantha Johnson added a first-place performance in the Annual Chapter Activities Presentation.
Nine WMS students also placed second in six events at the state conference. Sophie Michaels took second in Business Etiquette. Emma Calcagno placed second in Learning Strategies. Emma Wilson finished second in Career Research. Griffin Moyers and Micciah McKill teamed up to take second place in Critical Thinking. Kaden Peterson, Jayson Mines, and Joshua Segroves had a group presentation that finished second in Business Ethics. Simera Shiferaw placed second in the FBLA Mission and Pledge.
Three WMS students placed third in two events. Alisson Milhahn placed third in Elevator Speech, Addie Nelson and Rebecca Estrada teamed up to take third in the Marking Mix Challenge, and Timothy Hanson added a fourth-place performance in Digital Citizenship.
“Our FBLA Chapter continues to amaze me,” said WMS FBLA Adviser Franklin Cammack. “We lost some great members to the high school this year; however, my returning eighth graders stepped up and accepted the challenge. These students helped me recruit, and we added some great members. We’ve got some work to do to prepare for Nationals, but this group has already shown that they are willing to put in the effort to get the job done. I fully expect to be bringing some awards back in July.”
At the high school level, Edward Henry won the state championship for Tullahoma in Financial Statement Analysis. Tullahoma High School saw six students take second place in three different events. Brady Welch finished second in Organizational Leadership, and Thomas Anderson placed second in Personal Finance. Lillian Villamar, Janet Villafuerte, Connor Shasteen, and Jossalyn Garcia teamed up to take second in Parliamentary Procedure.
Chris Guo took third place in Introduction to Financial Math. Cambree Moyers finished fourth in the Community Service Project, Lexi Scott placed fourth in Sales Presentation, and Keila Diaz took fourth in Business Ethics.
“I am very proud of these students. They put in a lot of time, effort, and energy preparing for their competitions,” said THS FBLA Adviser Will Hyden. “They are all really good kids, and they are all involved in multiple extracurricular activities and excel in the classroom. I am thankful to have the opportunity to be their FBLA adviser, and I look forward to seeing all of the amazing things that they will accomplish in the future.”
Top Photo: West Middle School saw 24 students qualify for the National Leadership Conference based on their performance at the state conference earlier this month.
