Thomas County Central High School Future Business Leaders of America chapter is the Georgia FBLA Region 1 champion for the 10th consecutive year.
Adviser Nicholas Haskin said the chapter entered the school year intending to earn this accomplishment.
“With the win, we remain the only FBLA chapter in Georgia who has won region every year since its existence,” he said. “To say that I’m proud of all of our members would be an understatement."
Given pandemic restrictions, students still dedicated themselves to representing at the best of their abilities, Haskin continued. Several TCCHS FBLA members advanced to state competition (see box).
“We again had some of the highest scores with students ranked first, second, or third in their events in the entire state, sometimes out of more than 300 competitors,” he said.
Chapter members are likewise thrilled.
“When a school is able to win a regional competition for 10 years in a row, that speaks to the leadership we have in place here,” junior Jack Cantrell said. “It's been an honor to help the team clinch our 10th consecutive win.”
Sophomore Jackson Emmett calls the streak a great achievement.
“I am very proud to have been a part of maintaining it,” he said. “Knowing that my performance in these competitions has contributed to my school's success is a great feeling.”
Senior Madilyn Roberson is delighted with her chapter and its members’ achievements.
“Being a part of a 10-year winning streak makes me so proud to be a Yellow Jacket,” she said. “I am so proud of our chapter and all that we do to continue this great accomplishment. I see how much my fellow members do and how much they pour into this club, and it shows the drive and atmosphere this school creates.”
FBLA is an organization that nurtures tomorrow’s business leaders by teaching them necessary skills to be successful in their career, post-secondary education, and life.
“Thomas County Central High School FBLA is a place where every student can find a place to succeed, a place to belong, and a place to be pushed to reach beyond their normal abilities,” Haskin said.
Region testing occurred in December 2020. A virtual event allowed presenters to record and submit entries. A virtual statewide awards ceremony took place Jan. 18.
Sophomore Campbell Smith, 15, is the chapter’s highest-placing region competitor. He earned first from 272 entrants in Introduction to Business Communication. His category’s 100-question test assessed understanding of language and grammar skills and other components related to formatting and presenting information in a professional setting.
Smith said he’s proud of his ranking and improvement.
“Introductory testing events, like this one, are specific to freshmen and sophomores, so after placing third on the regional level last year, I was able to test again,” he said. “Having placed first this year on the regional level, it was fulfilling to see that I had improved.”
Cantrell, 16, took a 100-question test in the Economics category, earned second place and advanced to state competition.
“It was awesome to rank this highly in my FBLA category,” he said. “This is the best I've done as a member of FBLA so far, so it felt great.”
Sophomore Bishop Jackson, 16, feels awesome about his placements. For one, he garnered a second consecutive first-place win for Introduction to Information Technology, an exam that covered computer hardware and software.
“I am glad I was able to maintain that prestigious status,” he said. “I am even more elated about my second place win in Introduction to Financial Math. I did not have experience in this event, so second place is a huge accomplishment.”
Roberson, 17, expressed honor and excitement regarding her two region placements – first in Marketing and second (with two other students) in Business Ethics, especially given it’s her first year in the organization. She explained her interest in marketing and preparation for the category’s test.
“I studied on different programs to learn as much as I could about marketing,” she said. “I plan on getting a degree in marketing, so this was something I knew was going to show me whether or not it was something I wanted to pursue.”
Emmett, 15, placed first in Help Desk and second in Information Technology. Both required a comprehensive test.
“Help Desk is a category relating to customer service and support, and Information Technology relates to computer technologies and the manipulation of data within them,” he said. “...I take great pride in my awards. I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate and compete in this event, and I am excited to compete with other students in the same areas of study.”
Testing and submissions for the state level take place this month. The 2021 Georgia FBLA Virtual State Leadership Competition is March 23.
TCCHS FBLA advancers have their eyes set on improving their game for state competition.
“To prepare, I will review material that may have been unfamiliar to me during the regional test, and I hope that my results can continue to reflect improvement,” Smith said.
Jackson intends to take practice tests for his region category advancement. He will also wrap his state-only event, Coding and Programming, where his goal is to advance to nationals.
Roberson intends to do lots of studying, practice tests, and extending her marketing knowledge.
“This win has pushed me and inspired me to keep getting better and learn as much as I can,” she said. “I would love to place in state and then be able to move on in this competition.”
First Place
Banking and Finance—Emily Reynolds
*Business Calculations—Alex Marquez
Business Plan—Lizzy Peppers
Electronic Career Portfolio—Ashlynn Hayes
Entrepreneurship—Hayes Barwick
Graphic Design—Sophia Kona
*Help Desk—Jackson Emmett
Hospitality & Event Management—Kendall Alligood
*Introduction to Business Communication—Campbell Smith
*Introduction to Financial Math—Caleb Kinneer
*Introduction to Information Technology—Bishop Jackson
*Marketing—Madilyn Roberson
Parliamentary Procedure—Emily Bishop, Jack Cantrell, Donald Davis, Loxley Slocumb
*Publication Design—Alyssa Barlow, Morgan Ward
Impromptu Speaking—Jessica NeSmith
Second Place
Digital Video Production—Mya Cooney, Emily Potter
*Economics—Jack Cantrell
Electronic Career Portfolio—Loxley Slocumb
Graphic Design—Bryson Bennett, Ethan McCabe
Help Desk—Micah Moser
*Introduction to Business Communication—Caleb Kinneer
*Introduction to Financial Math—Bishop Jackson
*Introduction to Information Technology—Jackson Emmett
Management Information Systems—Jared Anderson, Dawson Carver
Personal Finance—Bryson Bennett
Publication Design—Sophia Kona, Heather Smith
Website Design—Alex Marquez, Deep Patel, Emily Potter
Business Ethics—Emily Bishop, Donald Davis, Madilyn Roberson
Introduction to Public Speaking—Shelbie Ducharme
*Public Speaking—Karsyn Bush
Third Place
*Business Communication—Alyssa Barlow
Help Desk—Dawson Carver
International Business—Heather Smith
Introduction to Financial Math—Whit Finch
Introduction to Information Technology—Zach Williamson
Network Design—Micah Moser, Deep Patel
Personal Finance—Christian Miranda