FBLA student members compete at Winter Conference

RITZVILLE – Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students competed in the 2021 Winter Conference, held online January 30 - Feb. 12.

Advisor Steve Greenwalt said 25 students from Lind-Ritzville competed in various competitions, both team and individual events. There were 14 high schools competing, along with a middle school out of Cheney. Greenwalt said about 250 students registered, down from the over 400 that usually attend.

"I think for this year, with what is going on, it is a really good turnout," Greenwalt said. "Not all the schools in our region are back to being in school. There were quite a few schools that are virtual, which makes it hard to have meetings."

The Broncos are in the Northeast Region for Washington State FBLA.

"Students competed very well," Greenwalt said.

The team made up of Jay Harder, Bronc Hutsell, Cooper Miller, Owen Telecky and Lane Tellefson took first place in Parliamentary Procedure.

In Website Design, the team of Mercedes Miller, Myra Miller and Raegan Snider placed third.

In Accounting 2, Drew Kelly took first place, followed by Rosa Alfaro in second.

Julia Klein took first place in Hospitality and Event Management.

Shawn Steinberger took first place, and Taylor Galbreath took fourth, in Introduction to Public Speaking.

Steinberger also took first place in Sales Presentation.

In Business Law, Sydney Kinch placed second.

Brock and Sydney Kinch took second place in International Business.

Hunter Cameron took second and Rosa Alfaro fifth place in Business Calculations.

In Introduction to Information Technology, Cameron Wood took second.

Dakota Killian and Sydney Kinch took second in Public Service Announcement.

In Marketing, Raegan Snider took second, Drew Kelly third, and Brock Kinch and Lance Williamson placed sixth.

Cameron Wood took second in Introduction to Financial Math, and Hunter Cameron came in sixth.

Julia Klein took third in Personal Finance, Cameron Wood took third in Health Care Administration, and Rosa Alfaro took third in Insurance and Risk Management.

In Sport and Entertainment Management, a team of Hunter Dinkins, Drew Kelly and Owen Telecky took fourth place.

Dakota Killian took fourth in Journalism.

In Introduction to Business, Raegan Snider took fifth and Megan Melcher took sixth.

All students that placed in the top six will have the chance to compete at the FBLA State Conference, which will be held as a virtual conference April 21 - 24.

This is Greenwalt's fifth year in Ritzville, after working as the FBLA advisor at Connell High School for 16 years. Last year, his daughter Grace Greenwalt went on to Nationals after placing first in State in the Sales Presentation. Fellow Bronco Katherine Gingrich competed at Nationals in Hospitality and Event Management.

"Sixteen students went to State last year, and we would have had way more, if it hadn't been virtual," Greenwalt said. "We had students decide not to do it because it wasn't under normal circumstances."

This year, more students were up for the challenge. And a challenge it was.

"The girls on the website design team, they were here for five or six hours working on a Saturday, after working on it before. That was on Jan. 30, and a lot of students came in and recorded their presentations," Greenwalt said, explaining all the students had to record their presentations, upload them to YouTube, then send him the link to put on the convention website so the judges could judge the competition.

Greenwalt said the state said they wanted to keep everything equal throughout the state, so it all had to be done virtually.

"With my website design team, there were three members on it and they had to do the presentation as a team, so all three had to be in a separate area to be a part of the presentation. So they did a Zoom meeting," Greenwalt said. "The same thing with the PSA (Public Service Announcement) team. They had to be in two different locations, because they could not present together, since not all the schools are in session like we are. So to keep the competition the same for everybody that is being judged, they had to do it virtually."

Greenwalt said since only a few students competed at the state conference last year, the process was a new thing for everyone this year.

"It took us a little bit to figure it out, but we got it figured out and they were really good about it," Greenwalt said. "They were able to get it done. A few students I had to help, and the others were able get it done and give me the links. We put the links in, and away we went."

Greenwalt expects the trophies to arrive mid-March.