June 27, 2012 at 3:49 p.m.
RHS students prepare for national competitions
Three qualify for FBLA, FCCLA national conferences
RHS students prepare for national competitions
At those two national conferences, three Rhinelander High School students will represent not just the Northwoods but the entire state.
Freshman Ian Bishop is Rhinelander's lone national qualifier in FBLA. He will be competing in the category, "Introduction to Technology Concepts."
Two recent RHS grads qualified for FCCLA nationals set for July 8-12 in Orlando. Rebekah Taylor will be competing in the interior design event and Lindsey Larson will be competing in the interpersonal communications category. Both Taylor and Larson qualified by being the top scorers in their respective categories at the state competition in April held in Wisconsin Dells.
There are around 60 different categories that students can compete in with both FBLA and FCCLA. To qualify for FBLA nationals, Bishop had to be in the top-three of his category at the state competition.
"Taking these classes and being involved in these clubs really directs students to different work experiences," said Aaron Panke, who teaches business and information technology classes at RHS and serves as the adviser for FBLA.
Panke just finished his fifth year at RHS and started the school's FBLA chapter when he arrived. He had experience with FBLA at previous teaching jobs in a suburb of Denver and Abbotsford.
The situation is similar for the school's FCCLA club, which has been in place for four years and was started by family and consumer sciences teacher Betsey Perkins. She had previous experience as an adviser while teaching in Connecticut.
"We both taught at schools prior to RHS that had these clubs, and we said we need to bring them here because they're great experiences for students," Panke said.
Being involved in FCCLA has already influenced Taylor's career interests. She will be studying interior design at the University of Arizona this fall.
"It helps you explore possible careers," Taylor said. "And you get to go to Orlando."
Taylor, whose mother owns the Bridal Gallerie in downtown Rhinelander, said she's had an interest in design since she was young but never liked the sewing that was essential to the area of fashion design. But then she discovered the interior design category in FCCLA after first getting involved with the club as a sophomore.
"I would say it's important to get involved especially during this time in high school," Larson said of what she would tell students about clubs like FBLA and FCCLA. "It helps you learn what you want to do."
Larson is planning to attend Mid-State Technical College and is undecided on her exact course of study, but said her FCCLA category of interpersonal communications will be valuable no matter what she decides to pursue.
"I know communication is a strong trait I have, so FCCLA has helped me focus on it," Larson said.
In her category, Larson will be giving a prepared oral presentation at nationals about how technology can be used to improve communication. She will also be given a scenario at the competition.
"It's here's a scenario, you have 10 minutes (to prepare something)," Perkins said. "It's really pulling all the skills together."
After nearly two decades as a FCCLA adviser, Larson and Taylor will be Perkins' first two national qualifiers.
"What I like, as an adviser, is you get to see the kids on different levels," Perkins said. "It makes you want to teach."
In addition to the competitive aspect of the FBLA and FCCLA national conferences, the students will have the opportunity to attend several workshops. Panke and Perkins said the networking component is an important aspect of both clubs. Those networking opportunities are something that attracted Bishop to FBLA. Only a freshman, Bishop said he isn't sure exactly what career he will be pursuing, but being at something like FBLA nationals with nearly 12,000 other students will be valuable.
"It seemed like something fun and there are a lot of technology based areas," Bishop said of what got him involved in FBLA. "I have my mind set that I want to do something with technology."
Kyle Rogers may be reached at [email protected].
WEATHER SPONSORED BY
E-Editions
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
August
To Submit an Event Sign in first
Today's Events
No calendar events have been scheduled for today.
Comments:
You must login to comment.