FBLA members traveled to Hershey in early April for the annual State Leadership Conference, or SLC. Making it to states starts at the regional level. Members who placed in the top few spots of their events at regionals were invited to attend the SLC. Out of the FBLA members, 23 went to the state competition.
“We first had to create our presentation and then through a lot of practice and tweaking our presentation, we were ready to compete,” senior Shaw Simpson said when talking about regionals and prep for states. “We also took some feedback from our regional judges to further perfect our presentation.”
For all students attending the SLC, FBLA adviser Mrs. Linda Keiser requires four study sessions in order to prepare for their test or event. Senior Jack Dietrich also spent a lot of time prepping for his event.
“I prepared for my event by doing practice tests along with reading papers and other materials about UX Design,” Dietrich said. “I probably spent at least ten hours total studying.”
Keiser has advised this club for 26 years. “I always enjoy going to this conference because it gives me an opportunity to get to know my members better and to see them outside of the classroom environment,” said Keiser.
“Those students who competed in performance events competed against 12 to 15 other groups or individuals, depending on the event, in the preliminary round and the top three in each group/room advanced to the final round.” said Keiser. This means that seniors Karliegh McKenna, Brady Cohen, Shaw Simpson, Andrew Trueman, Jimmy Mussina, who competed in Sales Presentation, and Cc Twigg, who competed in Public Speaking, had to present twice.
Monday, most testing members took their objective tests. Dietrich placed second in the state, competing in the UX Design category which consists of a competitive test about how websites are designed and the psychology behind it. “This is my third time at states and will be my first time at nationals,” Dietrich said.
Along with the objective tests, the first round of performance events took place on Monday.
“It is always enjoyable and rewarding to watch the performance events,” said Keiser. “Everyone who performed advanced to the final round and did an excellent job! Last year, Jack placed 5th in UX Design, coming close to advancing to the national level, so it was rewarding to see him prepare and place 2nd in UX Design this year, making him eligible to compete at the national level.”
In Sales Presentation, two Montoursville groups competed.
“I competed in Sales Presentation. I worked with Jimmy Mussina and Andrew Trueman to sell Dr. Squatch soap,” Simpson said. Because the events are open for students to watch, their Sales Presentation had an audience. “It’s always more fun when there is a crowd. It makes it easier to interact with them and it feels more real. It might be more nerve racking, but it is definitely more fun,” Simpson said.
When talking about nationals, Simspon said he planned to attend. As Simspon, Trueman, and Mussina went last year competing in the same category, they know what to expect. Simpson said, “We will do the same presentation and just keep practicing our lines to keep them fresh.”
Sophomore Adele Dunkleberger planned her Monday as a strictly FBLA day and Tuesday as her free day. “Monday, I competed in my event, Intro to Business Procedures, as well as watched some Sales Presentations including Jimmy, Shaw, and Andrew’s.” Dunkleberger also watched some Public Speaking and Intro to Public speaking events, and sat in for a few workshops.
On Tuesday, Dunkleberger spent her time a little differently. “Then Tuesday, I did some homework then went shopping at the outlets,” Dunkleberger said. “There are a bunch of cool things close to the hotel like the Hershey Butterfly Garden, where there are a bunch of pretty moths and butterflies.” A short walk from the Hershey Hotel, there are flower gardens with beautiful trees and walkways with flowers around them. Some people also went to Hershey Park and Chocolate World.
Along with places to travel to, the Hershey Hotel is a place where members from across the state come together to have fun. In and outside the hotel there are pickleball courts, basketball courts, a ping pong table, an indoor pool, cornhole boards and so many more fun things.
Dunkleberger’s favorite part though, was the music. On the buses that took students to locations, she brought along her favorite instrument. “I played harmonica on the buses and at the hotel for people,” Dunkleberger said. “Sometimes people liked it and sometimes they just rolled their eyes. At the hotel, we even put on a concert for random people. My friend, Rowan, and I played “Piano Man,” her on a toy piano and me on harmonica. It was hilarious to see peoples’ reactions.”
To conclude their trip, members went to the Giant Center for the closing awards ceremony. At the almost three-hour-long and suspenseful event, members found out if they placed in the top ten, and if they made it to nationals.
This year, the club sent 23 members to Hershey to compete in the state competition. Of those 23 members, six members have the opportunity to attend the National FBLA competition.
In Sales Presentation, Mussina, Simpson, and Trueman placed first, and McKenna and Cohen placed third. In the UX Design category, Dietrich placed second.
“We were totally shocked when we got first place. We didn’t feel too confident in our final presentation, but it worked out in the end,” Simpson said.
Along with the members moving on to Nationals, Twigg competed up until the final round of Public Speaking, and senior Andrew Zhu placed 7th in Financial Math.
After the Closing ceremony, members rode buses back to the hotel for one final night of fun. Either roaming around the hotel, playing pickleball, meeting new people, or just sleeping, members had a blast at the SLC.
“The days at Hershey were awesome,” Dietrich said. “I spent a lot of time with friends and also met new people. The hotel we stayed in was also fantastic. I will forever have memories from the last three years there and I can’t wait to make more in California.”
Featured photo (at top): FBLA members attended the state conference at the Hershey Hotel in Hershey. Six of the 23 members earned a spot to compete at the national level in California this summer. Photo provided by Mrs. Linda Keiser
Socials