Vermont Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Spring Conference

On Thursday and Friday, March 29 and 30, Harwood FBLA attended the Vermont FBLA Spring Conference at the Sheraton in South Burlington. FBLA chapters from schools all around Vermont participated in the two-day event in which they competed in events and made new friends. Also while attending the conference, students listened to motivational speaker, Quentin Whitehead, a bestselling author whose main theme is “Its Possible”. Mr. Whitehead is someone that I am now looking into getting to come and speak at Harwood during one of our morning assemblies. Prior to attending the conference, students chose tests that they took either individually or with a team member. Some of these tests correlated with the events at the conference that students participated in. The tests included subjects like Accounting, Management Decision Making, Marketing, and Sports Management.

Three Harwood students attended the conference; Gianna Dejong- Kaiser, Josh Seckler, and Joe Magee. For each competition the top five students received certificates while the top three students received certificates, plaques and a cash prize. Joe placed 3rd in the state for Accounting 1, receiving a cash prize of fifty dollars. Josh and Joe placed 3rd for Management Decision Making and received twenty-five dollars each. Gianna placed 2nd in FBLA Principles and Procedures, 5th in Help Desk, and 5th in Business Communications. The conference took place during the same time that President Obama was holding a fundraiser in the hotel. The students were able to experience the level of security that is used when the President holds such an event. Upon leaving the conference students lined the road as the President’s motorcade made its way back to the airport.

The conference was something that I took very seriously and look forward to attending next year, and I would strongly advise other students to get involved with FBLA. FBLA is something that will give us opportunities that we would not receive otherwise.

Students in FBLA are going to be developing contracts for next year’s officers to sign as well as are planning a fundraising and community-service project because we hope to attend the National Fall Leadership Conference next year in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Respectfully Submitted,

Joe Magee

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NEWS RELEASE

Friday, November 18, 2011

Harwood Union High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) attended the National FBLA Fall Leadership Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 4 and 5. A total of 55 Vermonters attended with 21 students and 4 chaperones from Harwood. In the mornings on Friday and Saturday we toured the U.S. Mint, the Liberty Bell Mall, the Franklin Institute, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a local shopping mall. In the afternoons students attended three workshops of their choice. Some of the workshops students attended were “Personal Finance—Needs & Wants,” “Start Your Own Online Fashion Store,” “Effective Presentation Skills,” “RU Safe Online,” “World’s Best Summer Internships,” and “Dare 2b Cyber Safe.”

On Friday evening the first General Session occurred with at least 2000 other FBLA members from across the country and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each state marched in with their banners shouting at the top of their lungs. Our small group marched in with blinking lights on our heads shouting “802 802 802” and the energy was incredible. Saturday night after the final General Session, students attended a Blue Jeans for Babies Dance and donated money to the March of Dimes.

Since returning FBLA members are planning a community-service project and fundraising events. Our next conference will be the Spring Leadership Conference in South Burlington, Vermont. Next fall, we hope to attend the National Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Trip to Washington

On Thursday, November 18, Harwood Union’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) organization traveled to Washington, D.C. eager to share in the experiences of the Fall Leadership Conference. Our group of eighteen students and four chaperones boarded the train in Vermont and thirteen hours later to found ourselves in our nation’s capitol. It was here that our journey truly began.

On our first morning there we met the other Vermont FBLA chapters for a group picture with Senator Patrick Leahy on the Capitol steps and had a tour of the capital. Many of us had never been to D.C. before, let alone a conference of this magnitude. There was definitely a degree of excitement as we walked past such memorials as Washington and Lincoln. When our tourist desires had been fulfilled we retired to our hotel, the same Hilton on Connecticut Avenue where Reagan was nearly assassinated.

We attended prestigious workshops offered at the Conference; lessons on making and saving money, on applying yourself and applying to college, and on helping the community. We had dinner at a local Italian restaurant with Vermont FBLA . The opening General Session was highlighted by a key note speech given by Alton Jamison, a Virginia born entrepreneur who specializes in helping young adults shape their own futures.

On the following day after Jamison’s inspirational speech we once again found ourselves perusing the streets of D.C. Seeing the Vietnam War Memorial was a moving experience for all of us. The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum was a great attraction that offered an in depth analysis of our quest for flight. From here we went to even more workshops, ones that were just as brilliant as the firsts. Our Conference was closed out with another General Session and keynote speaker, followed by a dance.

Harwood is fortunate this year to have Christine Milne, senior, as our Vermont State FBLA President who is currently planning our spring conference in South Burlington. Students will be getting ready for the competitive events and are planning a community-service project.