PRESQUE ISLE, ME — Future Business Leaders of America members from the Presque Isle Regional Career and Technology Center traveled to Portland March 19-21, 2017 for the annual FBLA convention, bringing home a number of awards.
Kimberly Hemphill, club adviser, said, “The county was represented very well. Not only were the students professional, but kind as well to other students and adults.”
Group members competed against nine other schools from Maine in a number of business-related activities and presentations.
First-place medals went to Rachel Driscoll, Accounting I and Accounting II, and to Emma Beaulieu, Mari Shaw and Victoria Williamson, Chapter Activity Display of Merit.
The following won second-place medals: Matt Bouchard, Agribusiness; Gabriella Donovan and Mari Shaw, Business Financial Plan; Victoria Williamson, Client Services; Taylor Billings and Kerstee Spooner, Digital Video Production; Kacie Chapman and Taylor Hedrich, Graphic Design; Joseph Michaud and Alec Staples, Introduction to Business Presentation; Gavin Hemphill, Local Chapter Annual Report; Victoria Williamson and Gabriella Donovan, Marketing; Rachel Driscoll, Personal Finance; Kacie Chapman, Public Speaking 1; and Kerstee Spooner, Scrapbook Award of Merit.
These students earned third-place medals: Rachel Driscoll, Banking and Financial System; Patrick Cash, Business Plan; Emma Beaulieu and Mari Shaw, Community Service Project; Taylor Hedrich, Database Design and Application; Mari Shaw, Electronic Career Portfolio; Taylor Hedrick and Patrick Cash, Emerging Business Issues; Gabriella Donovan, Global Business; Emma Beaulieu, Insurance and Risk Management; Taylor Hedrich, Introduction to Business Procedures; Rachel Driscoll, Job Interview; Taylor Billings and Lydia Patterson, Network Design; Emma Beaulieu and Mari Shaw, Public Service Announcement; Victoria Williamson, Public Speaking 2; Emma Beaulieu and Gabriella Donovan, Publication Design; and Rachel Driscoll and Mari Shaw, Website Design.
Kacie Chapman won the Outstanding Freshman of the Year Award. Her application was selected from nine entries, one written by each adviser.
The speaker for Monday evening was Travis Mills, a quadruple amputee. He became one out of five soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to survive a quadruple amputation.
“Travis inspires thousands every day with his remarkable journey,” said Hemphill. “He doesn’t want to be thought of as wounded, but rather a man with scars”
Mills founded the Travis Mills Foundation in 2013, which benefits and assists wounded and injured veterans.
Chris Carroll, a former president of the Presque Isle FBLA chapter, presented a workshop called “Starting Your Own Small Business – The Steps To Success.” He spoke about his two businesses, C-DJ Services and Aero Imaging Solutions.
Other schools attending the convention were Erskine, Lake Region, Lewiston, Mount Blue, Nokomis, Oakhill, Telstar, and Westbrook.
Steve and Kerry Spooner chaperoned, while Ariana Patterson and Marie Cash sent homemade cookies for the trip, Hemphill said, adding that Tim Horton’s donated coffee/ hot chocolate and Hedrich Vending donated pastries and drinks.
