Launch the media gallery 1 playerFBLA Members Named National Champions
Click here to see Joseph and Elsie's award winning business plan!
On Friday, June 28, the Boyd County FBLA national qualifiers, along with their adviser, Kari Boettcher, and chaperones, Heidi Atkinson and Jenny Stahlecker, traveled to San Antonio, Texas for the 2019 National Leadership Conference. That evening they joined the Nebraska delegation at Sea World.
On Saturday morning, members attended the first Nebraska meeting of the conference where students had the opportunity to engage with other FBLA members from across the state. Next up was a tour of the Alamo and a visit to Historic Market Square. Saturday evening, they joined 14,000 FBLA members in attending the opening session of the conference, held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Students heard a message from keynote speaker, Sherry Winn, a two-time Olympian and national championship basketball coach. The national officer candidates gave their campaign speeches at the close of the session.
Sunday, students participated in these competitive events: Sydney Atkinson, Heather Atkinson, and Elsie Magwire – Community Service Project; Joseph Hiatt and Elsie Magwire – Business Plan; Heather Atkinson and Lauryn Hoffman – Business Financial Plan; Sydney Atkinson – Spreadsheet Applications; Joshua Kersch – Introduction to Financial Math; Trevor Goesch – Middle Level Business Math; Amelia Hakl – Middle Level Career Exploration. Later in the afternoon, members attended the Mountain Plains Regional recognition ceremony. At this session, Sydney Atkinson, Jacey Hilkemann, and Emma Stahlecker were recognized for outstanding achievement in community service (500+ hours). Sydney also received her America pin for completing the final level of the Business Achievement Awards. Additionally, the Boyd County chapter was recognized for earning the Outstanding Chapter, Gold Seal, and Chapter Challenge awards. That evening, the group went on a ghost tour of the city.
Early Monday morning, it was announced that Joseph and Elsie qualified for finals in Business Plan. Later that morning, the group visited Natural Bridge Caverns. Joseph and Elsie competed in finals on Monday afternoon. In the evening, members attended the second state meeting where Nebraska cast its votes for national officer candidates. After the meeting, the group enjoyed a dinner cruise on the famous River Walk.
Tuesday morning, Heather and Joseph represented the Boyd County chapter, serving as voting delegates at the Mountain Plains Regional voting session. Later that morning, members rode a double-decker bus for a tour of San Antonio. That evening, the Awards of Excellence program took place, recognizing the Top 10 in each event. For the first time in Boyd County FBLA history, we had a group named NATIONAL CHAMPION! Joseph and Elsie received first place in Business Plan, beating out over 100 entries in their event. Both received a trophy and a check for $600. On
Wednesday morning, members were up early to catch their flight to Omaha, returning home that afternoon. The trip to San Antonio was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and full of great memories. The Boyd County FBLA chapter would like to say thank you to everyone in the Boyd County communities for your support. A special thanks to those who attended the welcoming home reception on Wednesday.
