Over thirty students from Swainsboro Middle School have been taking part in an extracurricular experience, possibly paving the way for future business leaders in their community. For several years, the school has been without a chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), but Mrs. Kristy Wimberly stepped up as the SMS FBLA Adviser to reactivate the chapter.
Mrs. Wimberly, a CTAE teacher at Swainsboro Middle School (SMS), was asked if she would be interested in becoming the adviser for the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) chapter at the beginning of the year. Understanding the need for business and career exposure and education for students, she accepted the offer. Being an active member of FBLA throughout her high school career, she knew the benefits of being a part of such an organization that encourages career preparation and leadership skills in its members. She wanted to offer the same experience and opportunity to the students at SMS. Mrs. Linda Kelly, SHS FBLA Adviser, and Mrs. Jessica Smith, ECI FBLA Adviser, provided her with great support and motivation as she tried to assemble the FBLA chapter.
Students were excited about joining FBLA, Mrs. Wimberly said. “Students have been eager to try competition events and have been so motivated.” She proudly said she was impressed with their ability to meet each monthly service challenge. “Students have gained valuable experience and knowledge studying for competitive exams and producing projects submitted for competitions at the regional and state levels. Students have gained experience in fundraising and leadership skills through participation in FBLA rallies, conferences, and chapter activities and events. Some students are active members who have never been a part of an organization before and are becoming leaders in our school and community,” remarked Mrs. Wimberly.
Last month, the chapter competed for the first time in the Region Competition. The following students placed:
1st Place Awards: Dayna Foster - Business Etiquette, Stella Marsh - Career Exploration, Jocelyn Williams - Business Concepts
2nd Place Awards: Karlie Bettencourtt - Business Etiquette, Stetson Sheppard - Digital Citizenship and Intro to Business Communication, Jocelyn Williams - Public Speaking
3rd Place Awards: Zaylee Braddy - Social Media Concepts, Trevor Bragg - Career Exploration, Dayna Foster - Marketing Concepts, Stella Marsh - Intro to Business Communication, Sara Taliedo - Elevator Speech, Rose Polke - Business Etiquette
4th Place Awards: Rose Polke - Marketing Concepts
5th Place Awards: Maritza Martinez - FBLA Concepts, Sakiyna Sanders - Digital Citizenship, Sara Taeido - Intro to Business Communication
This past week, the chapter competed for State, and Myli McCullough earned third place in Career Research. She will advance to the National Competition in June in Orlando, FL.
FBLA Middle School students learn what it means to be a leader and begin developing business skills. It also allows members to discover what lies within themselves as leaders and gain foundational leadership skills. As part of their community service efforts, the chapter has undertaken several projects this year, including donating bags of candy for the Downtown Fall Festival, hosting a canned food drive for Pruitt Health, providing stocking stuffer items for residents of the Pruitt Health Nursing Home, and working with SMS Jr. Beta to collect items for the local animal shelter.
The chapter holds monthly meetings after school to discuss upcoming events and deadlines. They celebrate the victories and accomplishments of their members, including Trevor Bragg, McKinley Walden, and Dayna Foster, who were named school-level winners of the Georgia Young Authors Writing Competition. Wimberly said, “There are so many talented and successful students at SMS, and SMS FBLA has been shining as a result of hard work, dedication, and leadership from the students who proudly represent SMS.”
