IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR
Fairbury FBLA Shines at State Leadership Conference
by Teresa Hansmire
"SOLD on Schultis" and “SOAR with Skidmore” were the campaign themes for not one—but two—Fairbury FBLA members competing for a position on the Nebraska FBLA State Officer Team. Eighteen chapter members assisted junior Justin Schultis and sophomore Allie Skidmore in their campaign runs for positions on the Nebraska FBLA State Officer Team. Schultis campaigned for a second term as President while Skidmore sought the office of Vice President. Schultis and Skidmore each ran two-day campaigns at the 2008 Nebraska FBLA State Leadership Conference held April 3-5 in Omaha. Justin made Nebraska FBLA history as the only student to serve two terms as State President. Allie joins him on the team as the newly-elected Nebraska FBLA Vice President, making Fairbury the first Nebraska chapter to hold the top two state positions during one school year. Justin and Allie will lead the Nebraska delegation June 27-July 1 at the 2008 National Leadership Conference in Atlanta.
The Opening General Session featured keynote speaker Andrew McRea’s presentation appropriately titled “How to Wrestle Bears and Win.” McRea’s speech encouraged members to capitalize on every opportunity to achieve success. The opening session concluded with the campaign speeches of 14 candidates running for six state officer positions. Schultis’s quest for re-election as President was opposed by Peter Raun of Minden and Marcus Winter of Elmwood-Murdock. Skidmore ran against Caitlin Moore of Fillmore Central for the office of Vice President. Candidates set up campaign booths, distributed brochures outlining goals, handed out giveaway items, and answered challenging questions as FBLA members and advisers circulated throughout the campaign area over the two-day period. All candidates participated in a 30-minute caucus answering impromptu questions regarding their goals and leadership characteristics. A primary election was held the afternoon of April 4 narrowing all offices to two candidates. The voting delegate assembly that evening revealed the majority of votes cast for Schultis and Skidmore.
Throughout the leadership event, members participated in competitive events, motivational seminars, and the election of the new State Officer Team. The Awards Program held on Saturday morning announced the top ten winners in each event and revealed who would represent Nebraska FBLA at the 2008 National Leadership Conference.
Junior Kevin Snyder and sophomore Allie Skidmore topped the slate of awards with first-place honors. Snyder placed first in Computer Problem Solving and Skidmore placed first in Public Speaking I. Skidmore also placed second in FBLA Principles & Procedures as well as Proofreading. Sophomore Jake Bell took third place in FBLA Principles & Procedures. Kevin, Allie, and Jake will compete in their respective events this summer at the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta.
Chapters across the state submit written reports showcasing projects completed throughout the year. The top five written reports qualify for oral presentation at the conference. Combined written and oral presentation scores then place the projects. Seniors Heather Barber, Laura Judd, and sophomore Traci Knobel wrote the chapter’s Community Service Project report. Barber, Judd, and Cassi Klaus gave an oral presentation on the project at the conference and earned a third-place award. Seniors Brandon Hirsch and Ethan Meyer qualified to present the American Enterprise project and finished in fifth place.
Sixth place in Technology Concepts went to Kevin Snyder. Sophomore Greg Bauer won seventh place in Introduction to Business as well as eighth place in Introduction to Technology Concepts. Honorable mention awards are given to members scoring in the top 5% in each event. Earning honorable mention awards were: senior Cassi Klaus-Job Interview; senior Ethan Meyer-Marketing; junior Kevin Snyder-Economics; junior Justin Schultis-Personal Finance; and sophomore Allison Skidmore-Word Processing.
Klaus and Schultis were recipients of the Nebraska FBLA Who's Who award, recognizing them for outstanding dedication to FBLA. Skidmore earned the Scrapbook award for the chapter. Klaus and Schultis wrote the chapter’s annual business report, which earned the Gold Seal Award of Merit. Fairbury FBLA was awarded the prestigious Sweepstakes Award, representing active participation in the state's program of work. Fairbury FBLA was a proud contributor to Nebraska FBLA’s donation of $7,938.65 to the Nebraska FBLA Foundation and $14,239.89 to the Nebraska March of Dimes foundation.
Over 1900 members and advisers attended the 2008 FBLA State Leadership Conference. Fairbury chapter members attending were: Seniors: Heather Barber, Brandon Hirsch, Laura Judd, Cassi Klaus, Ethan Meyer, Jasmine Schwisow; Juniors: Jordan Ahl, Ridge Barber, and Kevin Snyder, and Justin Schultis; Sophomores: Greg Bauer, Jake Bell, Traci Knobel, Brandon Krause, John Mach, and Allie Skidmore; and Freshmen: Miranda Barber and Paige Miller. Advisers Teresa Hansmire and Wade Miller directed the Fairbury SLC delegation while Connie Schouboe and Jeanne Skidmore served as chaperones and assisted with campaigns. Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Zimmerman, Ashlea Schouboe, and Mark and Anna Skidmore joined the group for the awards of excellence program.
