On Thursday, September 7, at 7:15 am, the second Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) meeting was held in Mrs. Harris’s room.

The purpose of FBLA is to help students develop vocational and career competencies in the business field. With the help of the program’s advisors, Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Stark, and Mrs. Belford, the students involved should be able to promote civic and personal responsibilities in the business field. It can greatly help a student who is looking to pursue a career in business later in life.

There are many high schools across the country that offer this program, but it has not been offered at Alliance High School for sometime.

During the 1990s, Judy Moorhead advised over forty FBLA students. Eventually, the program came to a untimely end for unknown reasons. With the influence of our school principal, George Clear, Mrs. Harris was given the resources to build this program once more.

Mrs. Harris stated, “Mr. Clear’s children were very active in FBLA and one of his daughters was even a state officer. With the hiring of our second business teacher and the knowledge, spunk, and enthusiasm she has coupled with having a highly skilled student teacher, I knew this was the time to get things off the ground.”

For the 2017-2018 school year, the motto of this year’s FBLA participants is “Elevate your Future”. The hope is that students will be able to incorporate business-related material into classrooms. This will allow students to reinforce other existing courses with FBLA’s rigorous academic competitions. There are four conferences that students could possibly attend during the school year.

At these conferences, students have the chance to compete against students from other schools in a variety events. Some of the events will cover technology, public speaking, business, finance, management, and over sixty other topics. Once the students have competed, they have a good chance of winning awards or even cash.

By the end of this year, Mrs. Harris hopes to encourage as many students as she can to join FBLA. She wants to expand her ideas and get as many students involved as possible to be eligible to attend the National Conference.

“There is lots of positive energy within these kids, join and learn how to be part of a club, take a chance at a new skill,” Mrs. Harris encourages.

During this year’s second meeting of FBLA, the main order of business was to elect the officers. The officers were voted in and titled to their current positions.

FBLA Officers:

President – Dylan Horton

Vice President – Jaiden Brown

Secretary – Zac Placek

Treasurers – Hannah Middleton and Kelsy Horton

Historian – Sydney Waldron

Parliamentarian – Joel Baker

Mrs. Harris was very professional, yet made a point to create a fun environment at the meeting. All of the students gave their opinions, got involved, and enjoyed a few laughs with the advisors. This greatly increased the welcoming atmosphere of the club. 

If you are thinking about joining FBLA, it is highly encouraged that you speak to Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Stark, Mrs. Belford, or some of your peers currently in FBLA for more information.You can also find FBLA on Twitter, @AllianceFBLA. 

If you are looking for a place to make some new friends, increase your business skills, or get some advice from advisors on how to boost your chances of success in business, join FBLA!