Category Archives: FBLA

WRCC FBLA Wins Chapter of the Year

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From March 26-28, 17 members from the Windham Regional Career Center (WRCC) Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) attended the state conference in Burlington, Vermont. Most members earned at least one award and many won more. We made new friends and became closer with people we may have only known a little bit. Overall we had a blast. Here’s a recap of our trip…

We arrived in Burlington on Wednesday evening. We went to the mall and got to hang out and get dinner together. When we went back to the hotel we snuggled together in one room and listened to people practice their speeches and presentations for the next day’s competitive events.

On Thursday, we woke up early and got dressed in some very snazzy business attire. We went to a bunch of cool workshops that taught us about things like financial management. All the kids had an interactive, competitive events like Job Interviewing, Public Speaking, Help Desk, Marketing and Business Plans. That evening, during dinner, we won our first award by coming up with the best chapter cheer and earning the Most Spirited Chapter award — a megaphone we add our name to for the second time!

That night, staff from Northern Lights led us in games and team building exercises. We all had a great time getting to know kids from other chapters while participating in team building activities.States13 109

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Our chapter with all of our awards.

On Friday, we started out with an extravagant breakfast. Then most of the kids in our chapter went on the March of Dimes walk-a-thon, while other students had callbacks from events the day before. After the walk and the last round of competitions, we got packed up and headed to the luncheon awards banquet. The food was amazing and overall the WRCC FBLA won or placed more than 45 times in a variety of events!

The grandest prize of all came at the very end… “And the award for Chapter of the Year goes to… WRCC!”  We all ran up and grabbed the huge 3 1/2 foot trophy that we will proudly display in the Career Center office. Ms. Cornell got the Advisor of the Year award, too. Our FBLA chapter is the best in the state… something that hasn’t happened to Brattleboro since 1999.States13 471

This will definitely be a trip to remember. We’re excited for the National Conference that will be held in Los Angeles, California. For those of us who aren’t going to CA, we can’t wait until next year’s State Conference.

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All 17 members from the WRCC FBLA Chapter.

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Biak Chin and Brenda Atwater participating in a team building activity.

FBLA Prepares for the State Conference

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Seventeen members of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter at the Windham Regional Career Center (WRCC) have been working very hard to prepare to attend the FBLA State Leadership Conference from March 27-29 in Burlington, Vermont.  We have done extensive hours of fundraising and testing to prepare for this event. Everyone is very excited to attend and can’t wait to return with all of our (hopeful) winnings.

Since the beginning of the year, we ran various sales campaigns to help pay for States. We sold Yankee Candles and Joe Corbi frozen foods. Most recently, we ran a raffle with gift certificates and items that local businesses donated.

On Saturday, (yes, Saturday) March 9, we were sequestered for their first series of tests on Word Processing, Desktop Publishing and prepared documents (resumés, etc.) for the Job Interview event that will take place at States. In the Word Processing test, students had to create documents in a specific format. We will be evaluated by judges on how well we create these documents.

Then, on Wednesday, March 13, we took more tests in various subjects of business such as Sports Management, Accounting, Economics, Computer Concepts, Global Business, Marketing, Cyber Security, Computer Software, Business Math, Business Procedures and more; a total of over 100 tests!

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Matt Anderson works on his Impromptu speech.

Certain tests — Job Interviewing, Public Speaking and Impromptu Speaking — are events that will take place in front of the judges at the FBLA State Leadership Conference. Students have prepared materials at home and practiced with the help of other students so they can perform to the best of their ability at this year’s conference. Some members are even making promotional FBLA posters and a banner to promote the March of Dimes campaign that FBLA is affliated with.

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Rissa Smith working on a poster for the State Conference.

Last year, WRCC-FBLA returned with 71 awards in all different categories. Just about every single person won at least one award and many people won two or more. This year, we hope to set a new record. We can’t wait to attend the FBLA State Leadership Conference, see old friends and make new ones from around Vermont. Check back in the beginning of April to hear about how well we did!

FBLA Holds Annual Blood Drive, March 19

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SAVE THE DATE: Donate blood on March 19.

Every year FBLA holds a blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross. By donating just one pint of blood, you could be saving the lives of 4 people. Last year, we had 45 staff and students participate and collected a total of 45 pints (or 720 cubic ounces) of blood. This year, our goal is to fill 60  pints during the blood drive. If you’re 16 years old, you can donate with parental permission. If you’re older than 16, you don’t need permission to donate blood. Join us in helping save lives by donating blood.

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HOW:
You can sign up to donate any time this week in the cafeteria during your lunch period. For more information, you can visit the sign-up table. The blood drive will take place on March 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. in the BUHS multipurpose room.

WHY:
By donating blood, you could be saving somebody’s life. Not only is that a great feeling and something you can feel proud of. Plus, in years to come, it’s a pretty awesome story to tell your kids.

Theresa Glabach and Brenda Atwater from FBLA help to sign kids up to donate.

Theresa Glabach and Brenda Atwater from FBLA help to sign kids up to donate.

Kobi’s Declassified: WRCC Survival Guide

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Next week will be the start of a new semester at the Career Center. This means many new students will be entering the Career Center for the first time. It’s not always easy starting somewhere new, but this post will tell you everything you need to know about surviving and succeeding at the Career Center.

1. Come to class with an open mind. There will be many new experiences at WRCC and it will be very difficult to learn and enjoy your time here if you aren’t open to new ideas and experiences. Even if in other situations there was an activity you didn’t like, at the career center it may be totally different.

wrcckobi_edited-12. Ask questions. Many classes at the career center are hands-on and if this is a new experience for you, certain things may not make sense to you. The only you’ll learn new things is to inquire about them!

3. Engage your community. If you need help or don’t understand something, even after the teacher explains it to you, many students who have been in the Career Center before are more than willing to help. Upperclassmen or students who have taken a class before you are great people to get help from. Even though upperclassmen may be a little scary at first, they can be great friends! (Plus they can be a chauffeur for you if they have a car.)

4. Stay Interested. There are many activities at the WRCC. If you feel like you aren’t drawn to a certain a class anymore, don’t torture yourself just because someone wants you to do a certain class or because you feel obligated to do a certain class. Try a new class that you haven’t done before, there’s tons of awesome classes!

5. No exotic animals allowed. In class it is best to pay full attention and animals like giraffes and elephants are quite distracting, not only to you but to your classmates as well. It can also be dangerous for the animal as they may get stuck in the doorway or in an elevator.

Santa Letters Wrap Up

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For the past twenty years, the WRCC FBLA chapter has operated a Personalized Letter from Santa sales campaign.  Members make order forms available at local businesses that support FBLA and their endeavors.  Once order forms are received by Santa’s FBLA elves, the members go into production preparing each personalized letter then finalizing the process by signing, folding, sprinkling snow, sealing, and finally placing stickers and stamps on each letter to be mailed.  Each letter is placed in a hand-decorated envelope, calligraphied with the recipient’s name and address.

Santa letters

Students prepare a radio ad to promote the project, and Tim Johnson at WTSA FM graciously offers his time and expertise to record, edit and air the community promo.  Brattleboro Savings and Loan and River Valley Credit Union make generous donations to offset the expenses and help support for this student-run project.  Box ads appear in the Brattleboro Reformer, print promotions are also submitted to the Letter to the Editor and Community Calendar.

FBLA’s Personalized Letters from Santa sales campaign teaches students marketing, communication, production, and financial skills.  For two to three weeks, students focus on this project that is loved and supported by our community.  Letters are sent all over the country to people of all ages–infants, school-aged children and many adults.  This year, we even sent letters to a few special dogs.

The feedback on the project is priceless. Proceeds from the project are used to offset each student’s cost of attending the FBLA State Conference in the spring.  Students attend the conference to compete against other members in the state in a variety of business topics.

Thank you to all our supporting customers and local businesses that continually show their support of FBLA projects and the development of our memberships’ business skills.

2012 Items for Project Feed the Thousands

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For nineteen years, Project Feed the Thousands has been helping to raise money and collect items for local food banks. It’s a statewide project that helps over 10,000 people get food each year. This is the largest annual food drive in southeastern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire. Every year, The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter at the Windham Regional Career Center (WRCC) and the student council co-host Project Feed the Thousands at the high school.

This year, we’re trying to collect 2012 items. So far, students have brought in about 1000 items and close to $250 in donations. Project Feed, as we call it at the high school, runs from a little bit before Thanksgiving to about a week before Christmas. The final date you are able to bring in food is December 31. To help, you can go to your local food bank and donate items there. You can also check out Project Feed the Thousand‘s official website, find where your local food bank is and donate money.

There are multiple collection boxes in both the high school and the Career Center building. If you have a child who attends Brattleboro Union High School you can send items such as canned goods, pastas, cereals, personal care items, or any other non-perishable good to school with them. You can also send money for the collection jars at both locations. Any amount makes a difference, whether it’s ten cents, one dollar or five dollars; every little bit counts!

The community goal this year is $100,000 in cash and about 25 tractor trailers full of food; that’s about 63,000 bags of food and personal care items. Project Feed the Thousands helps the community, but can’t succeed without your help and support. So in this season of giving, give something to your community!

-Kobi
WRCC student and FBLA Vice-President of Social Media

FBLA State Leadership Conference

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On Wednesday, March 28, a group of 29 FBLA members from the Windham Regional Career Center headed to Burlington for the State Leadership Conference.  The first night we explored downtown Burlington and got some dinner.  Afterward, back at our hotel, we all met up to rehearse our speeches for the following day.

Thursday morning began the conference.  The first session of the day featured an phenomenal keynote address by motivational youth speaker Quentin Whitehead. He inspired all of us to achieve our greatness before we began our competitions. Thursday night was the second opening session.  This session was for all the candidates for state office.

Following this session was “Winter Wipeout” with Mocean365.  Winter Wipeout was a chance to compete and get a little exercise. Check out the video they made!

Friday was the big day!  There was a walk for March of Dimes followed by the closing session. At the closing session, our Chapter won 72 awards based on events that cover all aspects of business; from public speaking to accounting, word processing to ethics,  job interviews and more. Also, I was elected Southern Vermont Vice President!

Everyone who went had an amazing time.  We all had a chance to bond and meet people that we might not have ever talked to if it weren’t for this trip.

Now, the stage gets bigger as we prepare to attend FBLA Nationals in San Antonio, Texas, June 26 – July 3.  We’ll compete in one event against the best of best in the country and attend amazing workshops.  We will be flying there and are currently working on getting local businesses to help sponsor fourteen of us who placed at States and will represent WRCC at Nationals. To be continued…

Future Business Leaders of America, WRCC Chapter, at the State Leadership Conference.