Award-winning team continues to excel at national FBLA conference
Kiera Judge (from left), Julia Rivera, and Kristen Miller at the Anaheim Convention Center, where their entrepreneurship team advanced to the final round of competition at the FBLA national conference.
When the Kennett school board accepted the resignation of a longtime special-education teacher last month, Michael King said he felt fortunate to be exiting on a high note: He and his wife would be accompanying a team of Kennett High students to the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Competition in Anaheim, Ca.
At the time, the FBLA Entrepreneurship Team of Kiera Judge, Kristen Miller, and Julia Rivera had already placed first in entrepreneurship at the Pennsylvania State Conference, held in Hershey earlier this year, an achievement that made them eligible for the national contest. Fortunately for the Kings and fellow chaperone, Lenny Rivera, the mock trial mentor as well as a proud parent, the three rising seniors weren’t done excelling.
The team advanced to the final round of competition, qualifying through preliminary testing with 14 other groups in a field that included about 100 teams. The conference, held June 27 through June 30, included over 9,000 participants, representing schools from every U.S. state as well as foreign countries. Pennsylvania had one of the bigger groups with over 380 people, said a school district news release.
The FBLA National Awards Program recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. Competitive events fall into three categories: individual, team, and chapter. Individual and team events focus on skills useful in leadership and career development; chapter events recognize overall achievement and performance in chapter management and growth, the release said.
Each event is governed by specific guidelines. The entrepreneurship event recognizes FBLA members who demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to establish and manage a business – a goal of many Americans. This event is based on team rather than individual participation. In addition to learning and applying business decision-making skills, team participants develop speaking ability and poise through oral presentations. The Kennett High School team was one of only two permitted to advance to national competition out of the Pennsylvania FBLA Conference, the release said.
The entrepreneurship event consists of two parts: an objective test and a performance component. A one-hour objective test is administered. Team members take one objective test collaboratively. Non-graphing calculators are provided. An interactive case study is given and consists of a decision-making problem encountered by entrepreneurs in one or more of the following areas: business planning, human relations, financial management, and marketing. All of the questions raised in the case must be addressed during the presentation, the release said.
Once the 15 teams with the highest scores on the objective test are selected for the final round, they are sequestered to receive final instructions. Twenty minutes before its scheduled performance, the team receives the case study and two note cards per member, to be used in preparation and during the performance. No other materials or equipment are permitted. The performance is open to non-competing attendees. The team then has seven minutes to interact with a panel of judges. The members must introduce themselves, present the case and their recommendations, and answer any questions in this “Shark-Tank”-style, role-play situation, the release said.
Kiera Judge is the daughter of Douglas and Diane Judge of Landenberg; Kristen Miller is the daughter of Greg Miller and Carol Miller, both of Avondale; and Julia Rivera is the daughter of Leonard Rivera of Avondale and Gayle Lafferty of Glen Mills. The team is advised by Kennett High School teachers Joe O’Sullivan of the Social Studies Department and Bill Fritsch of the Business Department, the release said.
