SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Six Sylacauga High School students took home a record five awards at the Future Business Leaders of America’s National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Cal., which ended on Sunday.
More than 60 competitive events ranged from emerging business issues to publication design, all with the goal of placing in the top 10 nationally. Thirteen Sylacauga High School students were among 12,000 international attendees.
The winners: Grace Abernathy and Elizabeth Dickson, second place, Community Service Project; Grier Marlowe, fifth place, Business Ethics; Caitlyn McTier, first place, Public Service Announcement; Keziah Sanders, third place, Impromptu Speaking; and Jack Wilbanks, fifth place, Graphic Design.
All placed within the top five of the already exclusive top 10 tier of competitors. Multiple competitors at the national conference prior to 2017 had never collectively reached top five status.
McTier’s placing of first in the nation in Public Service Announcement was Sylacauga FBLA’s first since 2012. She is only the fourth student in the chapter’s history to do so.
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“I’m still on cloud nine from placing first in Public Service Announcement,” said McTier. “I have competed every year at the national level, always with the goal of reaching the top 10. It appeared as if I was on track to do so last year when I made the final round [the top 14] in the exact same event, but I came up short of top 10. Then, I placed third at the state level this year, which made it seem unlikely that I would reach success at the national level this year. It now seems like a distant memory that made this win so much sweeter.”
Prior to the 2017 conference, Sylacauga’s FBLA representatives won at least one top 10 award for 11 consecutive years, some years taking home up to four awards.
Other conference attendees were Jillian Curtis, Alex Claire Hodges, Sara Hunnicutt, Tommy Marlowe, Lindsey McDonald, Levi Parker, and Bentley Walker. Adviser Pamela McTier and Sylacauga City Schools Director of Career and Technical Education Jon Segars accompanied the students.
Future Business Leaders of America is a nationally recognized nonprofit educational association for middle school, high school, and collegiate students interested in learning more about the free enterprise system. Students not only compete among the best in the United States but also students from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the Dodd’s school in Europe.
Lee Perryman for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
