Members of Lowry High School's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) group attended their state conference in Reno last week and each of the 12 students who placed in the top ten for at least one competition; several of the students placed in the top ten for multiple competitions.
Lisa Scott, FBLA adviser, said a group of students attends the conference each year and the last few years have been particularly successful for Lowry.
Scott said she has each student who participates compete in four events, ranging from online tests to speaking events. The best thing about the competition is that the students can take what they have learned in class and apply it in a competitive setting, she said.
The students begin training and practicing for the conference in the fall and work throughout the school year using materials provided by Scott.
A total of 38 schools and over 550 students attended the conference. Some schools don't even have a single student take the stage, Scott said, making Lowry's success even more significant.
"They are taking all the stuff they have learned in class and it's nice to see... when they compete against people from across the state that they stand out," Scott said.
In addition to placing at the state conference, 11 students who attended also qualified for the national conference which begins in June in Nashville, Tenn. In order to secure a spot at nationals, students have to place in the top three for an event.
Scott said Lowry has never had any national winners, but with 11 students competing this could be the year. Until now the largest group of students Lowry has taken to nationals was five, which happened last year.
Some of the students have already had to mail off and submit projects for nationals while others are preparing for presentations they will give at the conference.
"They have a lot of work to do," Scott said.
FBLA is an extracurricular activity so students have to dedicate their own time to succeed. Scott said she has a really great group to work with, which makes the hard work and competitions fun for everyone.
"It really makes it worth it when it's such a great group of kids," she said.
Scott has been the adviser for FBLA since it was first introduced at Lowry in 2009. She said she has worked with FBLA on and off at various schools for the last 20 years.
Contact Jessica Powell at j.powell@winnemuccapublishing.net.
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