Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America Chapter sets new scoring record during championship effort at State Leadership Conference
Members of the Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter display all the hardware they came home with in winning the State Championship and Chapter of the Year honors at the State Leadership Conference held in Coralville March 12-14. As evident by all the full hands in the above photo, the Waukon chapter racked up 66 placewinnings, including 17 first-place finishes, on the way to scoring a record-setting 300 points as a chapter. One of those first-place efforts was the Local Chapter Display that involved the "Step Up To The Challenge" display piece pictured in the front of the above photo and which featured an iPad display that scrolled photos representing the five areas judged in the display contest of Recruitment, Community Service, Sponsorship, Publicity and Conferences. Submitted photo.
The Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter took the annual State Leadership Conference (SLC) by storm March 12-14, not only coming away with top honors at the event but also setting a new Leadership Conference record in points scored by a championship chapter. The Waukon chapter recorded 17 first-place event finishes in its total of 66 placewinnings enroute to being the first chapter ever to eclipse the 300-point mark in the history of the State Leadership Conference.
"I couldn't be more proud of the students' performance at SLC," Waukon High School FBLA Advisor Joan Schwartz said. "It was a total chapter effort. Our Waukon FBLA students have always made me incredibly proud, as they are some of the most respectful and hardworking students while attending the Conference. This year was no exception, with the added bonus of bringing home the championship trophy."
The annual State Leadership Conference is an opportunity for students to compete against other students from around the state of Iowa in various business-related tests, presentations and speeches. Many projects were done throughout the past couple of months and then presented to judges at the Conference. Events also included case studies and written tests. The event is scored much like a track meet, with first-place finishers scoring the most points, and so on.
"The students put in many hours of work either studying for tests or completing projects that had to be done before competition," Schwartz shared. "Their efforts paid off, as we were able to hear our name called to the awards stage time after time. I thank the excellent leadership of the senior class. They have been positive role models for our underclassmen and have inspired the younger grades to continue their hard work."
The top-end event finishers from the State Leadership Conference now have the option of advancing to the National Leadership Conference slated for June 29-July 2 in Chicago, IL.
Schwartz said the chapter's success, and even the chapter's attendance at the State Leadership Conference, would not be possible without the support received from local individuals, organizations and businesses. Chaperones assisting on the State Leadership Conference trip included Mary Engstrom, Don Meyer, Lisa Snitker, Liz Hanson, Tim Waters, Shawn Nagel, Ann Grampovnik and Dan Sivesind. The following businesses also donated funding to the Iowa FBLA organization to help pay for awards distributed at the State Leadership Conference: Shopko of Waukon, JaDecc'S, Schwartzhoff Farms, Advanced Engineering Technology, Waukon Tire Center, Torkelson Motors, Dave's Gus and Tony's, Hartig Drug - Waukon, and Nick Jones Earthmoving and Logging.
Event placewinnings earned by the Waukon High School FBLA chapter members at this year's State Leadership Conference include the following:
FIRST-PLACE FINISHES
Lanci Bulman - Accounting
Logan Sullivan - Accounting II
Leslie Sivesind, Allie Schwartz, Samantha Swartz - Battle of the Chapters Advanced
Emma Hatlan, Brooklyn Larson, Kasinda McKee - Battle of the Chapters
Kelsey Cota, Katelyn Kolsurd, Allie Schwartz - Community Service Project
Avery Christianson, Rachel Otting - Desktop Publishing
Kaley Benzing, Gus Pladsen - Digital Design and Promotion
Bailey Jones - Filing
Marshall Lyons, Landon Sivesind, Brock Waters - Global Business
Justyn Herman - Help Desk
Caryssa Hermanson - Introduction to Business Communication
Max Swartz - Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure
Kaley Benzing, Katelyn Kolsrud, Rachel Otting - Local Chapter Exhibit
Avery Christianson - Sales
Lanci Bulman, Carver Conway, Max Swartz - Vocabulary Relay
Regan Wasson - Word Processing
Random Acts of Kindness Chapter Project
SECOND-PLACE FINISHES
Claire Beyer - Accounting
Rylee Einck and Carley Sweeney - Banking and Financial Systems
Isaac Fink, Katelyn Kolsrud, Madison Snitker - Digital Video Production
Grace Blocker - Healthcare Administration
Kelsey Cota, Katie Kerndt, Jacqueline Welch - Hospitality Management
Haden Hammel - Insurance and Risk Management
Lyvia Bulman, Allie Schwartz, Samantha Swartz - Marketing
Caitlin Shelton - Mobile Application Development
Marshall Lyons, Madison Snitker - NLC Pin Design and Promotion
Isaac Fink, Haden Hammel, Peyton Hesse - Spelling Relay Advanced
Haden Hammel, Abe Schwartz, Colin Waters - Sports & Entertainment Management
Kaylonna McKee - Word Processing
THIRD-PLACE FINISHES
Local Chapter Annual Business Report
Kaitlin Liddiard - Accounting II
Kasinda McKee - Business Law
Carver Conway - Business Math
Bethany Stock and Carley Sweeney - Business Plan
Jacob Hosch - Computer Problem Solving
Kjersten Colsch - Introduction to Information Technology
Laurel Keenan - Public Speaking I
Lyvia Bulman, Landon Sivesind, Brock Waters - Vocabulary Relay Advanced
Claire Beyer, Mason Hermeier, Regan Wasson - Vocabulary Relay
FOURTH-PLACE FINISHES
Kelsey Cota - Business Communications
Nicole Behrend, Alyvia Jones, Will Keenan - Entrepreneurship
Max Swartz - Introduction to Business Communication
Austyn Ede - Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure
Angela Villareal - Networking Concepts
Gus Pladsen, Bethany Stock - NLC T-Shirt Design and Promotion
Chris Miller - Personal Finance
FIFTH-PLACE FINISHES
Sydney Herman - Business Terminology
Gus Pladsen - Client Service
Brock Waters - Economics
Caryssa Hermanson, Laurel Keenan, Rylea Nagel - Emerging Business Issues
Brooklyn Larson - FBLA Principles and Procedures
Chris Miller - Filing
Callie Thorson - Healthcare Administration
Jacob Hosch - HTML/CSS
Chris Miller - Insurance and Risk Management
Landon Sivesind - Public Speaking II
Austyn Ede, Deana Schlitter, Kate-Leigh Wilson - Web Site Design
SIXTH-PLACE FINISHES
Leslie Sivesind - Agribusiness
Katie Kerndt, Thea Meyer, Callie Thorson - Battle of the Chapters Advanced
Mason Hermeier - Business Math
Carley Sweeney - Creed Oration
Lyvia Bulman - Economics
Sully Bucheit - Insurance and Risk Management
Kelsey Cota - Leadership
Adam Benzing - Sales Presentation
Austyn Ede, Lauren Elliott, Abe Schwartz-Spelling Relay.
