On April 23 and 24, Jefferson High Business Professionals of America representatives Cecilia Chapman, Quinne Shultz, Caleb Smartnick, Belle Murphy and Skylar Smith took a trip to Anaheim, California, where they competed in the BPA National Leadership Conference.
The team competed well, said BPA advisor Dawn Smartnick, and Chapman took fifth in the nation for presentation management, a feat Smartnick said is a “significant achievement.”
“[Chapman] is one of those students that doesn’t have to be told what to do,” Smartnick said. “She just figures it out and gets it done, and does it very well. That is how she has taken on her competitions in BPA. She knows what she wants, and when she has a vision in her mind, nobody can stop her.”
Chapman, Smartnick said, has great dedication, works hard and has exceptional business skills.
The same can also be said for the rest of the team, added Smartnick.
“This group of students have been amazing.“I told them from the beginning that our BPA success at JHS is all student-driven and motivation has to come from within; you get what you put into it. It is a great accomplishment to make it to Nationals, and I was pretty lucky to take five of them,” Smartnick said.
Smartnick added that – although she’d like to take credit for some of these successes, it really does all fall on the students.
“ I am there to help guide them and to make sure that all their i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed,” she said, “and sometimes I give them food.”
All the accomplishments of the BPA team reflect positively on JHS, Smartnick said, indicating that the school “has a strong education program and a very supportive environment that nurtures students’ talents and abilities.” She looks forward to seeing this continue next year, as Murphy and Smith are returning.
“I am sure they will see their chance up on the national stage as well,” Smartnick said. “I will be leaning on their leadership to help drive us to success as a team next year, too.”
