Jackson FBLA Attends State Leadership Conference

On April 24, the Jackson High School chapter of FBLA took 35 students and three advisers to the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield, Missouri, for the 2016 State FBLA Leadership Conference.

Students arrived on Sunday to compete in performance events, visit campaign booths, and attend the Opening Session, attended by over 4,400 members from across the state. Shannon Oleen, former NFL cheerleader, served as keynote speaker on Connected vs. Connecting: What a canoe, a bunch of strangers, and the absence of technology taught me about relationships.

Students attended leadership workshops, competed in finals of performance events, and voted on State officers on Monday. Jackson's voting delegates--Braxton Gill, Katelyn Fehr, Madison Dowdy, and Kasey Brown--attended the voting session to represent District 15. At the Monday session, Candace Hamlin was awarded the Business Achievement Award for the Leader level and the Jackson chapter was named Gold Chapter of the Year. Additionally, Jackson High School took honors in Local Chapter Annual Report--3rd place (Kassidy Adams, Candace Hamlin, and Alisha O'Rear), and Partnership with Business Project Report--5th place (Jacob Brown, Sarah Stephens, and Lynden Sides).

At the Closing Session on Tuesday, newly elected State officers were installed and the remaining competitive event awards were announced. Jackson had the following winners: Public Service Announcement--3rd place (Katie Dobbs, Kristen Robideau, and Lynden Sides), Banking and Financial Systems--4th place (Candace Hamlin, Ashley Yarbro, and Taylor Smith), and Graphic Design--5th place (Tyler Macke, Allison Karleskint, and Makenzi Bohnert). Eight students qualified for Nationals to be held in Atlanta in late June/early July.

Students are responsible for costs for National trip and anyone interested in sponsoring or providing scholarships can contact the adviser team.