SYLACAUGA, Ala. -Tuesday night the Sylacauga Board of Education honored its students for their accomplishments at a national convention in June.
More than 10,000 of America’s best and brightest high school students traveled to Southern California to establish their own Legacy of Leadership as they competed for the opportunity to win more than $170,000 in cash awards.
The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference was held June 29–July 2 in Anaheim. Participants from across the United States and abroad attended this exciting conference to enhance their business skills, expand their networks, and participate in more than 70 business and business-related competitive events.
Six students from Sylacauga High School’s Future Business Leaders of America received national recognition at the Awards of Excellence Program. Caitlyn McTier was named the national champion in Public Service Announcement, creating a thirty second video regarding drone safety and usage. Grace Abernathy and Elizabeth Dickson won second nationally in Community Service Project, a prejudged report and presentation summarizing Sylacauga FBLA’s Digital by Design service project for the 2016-2017 membership year. Keziah Sanders placed third in Impromptu Speaking, presenting a four minute speech on a topic for which she had ten minutes to prepare. Grier Marlowe won fifth place in Business Ethics, a speech regarding the ethics of employers using social media background checks. Lastly, Jack Wilbanks placed fifth in Graphic Design, creating a full design and branding package for a family entertainment center.
These outstanding students set a new Sylacauga High School chapter record. Six students placing in five competitive events broke 2011’s record of five students placing in four events. McTier became only the fourth student from Sylacauga High School to ever place first in the nation in a competitive event. Wilbanks, also placing in Publication Design at the 2016 conference, became the fifth student in chapter history to place in a national competition multiple years.
“I’m still on cloud nine from placing first in Public Service Announcement,” said McTier. “I have always had the goal of placing at the national level. After struggles at previous national conferences and a disappointing placement at this year’s state competition, I worked harder than ever before with a goal to finally reach the top ten, and I did. My earlier struggles now seem like such a distant memory that made winning first so much sweeter.”
Members Jillian Curtis, Alex Claire Hodges, Sara Hunnicutt, Tommy Marlowe, Lindsey McDonald, Levi Parker, and Bentley Walker also traveled to Anaheim, competing in events ranging from American Enterprise Project to Emerging Business Issues.
The 2017 National Leadership Conference was Sylacauga FBLA’s twelfth consecutive year to have one member place in the top ten nationally. The chapter was the largest student organization at Sylacauga High School in the 2016-2017 school year and was led by Tyler Laye, Allyson Craddock, and Pamela McTier. McTier and Jon Segars, Sylacauga City Schools Director of Career and Technical Education, traveled to Anaheim with the 13 students.
The awards won by students are part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to competitions, students immersed themselves in interactive workshops, visited an information-packed exhibit hall, and heard from motivational speakers on a broad range of business topics.
Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.