PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ALDENDERFER Jersey Shore students attending the FBLA State Leadership Conference are, from left, row one, Annalise Eiswerth, Beatrice Ferguson, Maxwell Ferguson, Kendra White, Gabrielle Moore, Ella Simcox, Ashley Nichols; row two, Lance Welsh, Jacob Butzler, Connor Anderson, Ezekiel Miller, Jesus Ramos, Connor Shade; row three, Jaydyn Doebler-Miller, Gage Mann, Luke Bischof, Averie Hess, Bailey Powell, Hannah Stemler, Pearl Patterson; row four, Zach Young, Dean Lundy.

JERSEY SHORE — Sixty-nine members of the Jersey Shore Senior High Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and their chapter advisers attended the 2017 Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference April 2-5 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. More than 4,800 advisers, guests, students, and business professionals participated in the 66th Annual State Leadership Conference.

This year Jersey Shore FBLA had a record breaking 69 students qualify and attend the State Conference, receiving 22 awards. The 22 students placed in the top 10 in the state, and 11 students qualified for the National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif.

In order to advance to the 2017 National FBLA Leadership Conference the students had to place in the top four of the state. The following Jersey Shore members will advance to the conference in Anaheim:

r Beatrice Ferguson – First in Electronic Career Portfolio.

r Ezekiel Miller – First in Networking Concepts.

r Team of Jacob Butzler and Lance Welsh – Second in Graphic Design.

r Team of Bailey Powell, Connor Shade and Zach Young – Second in Network Design.

r Team of Pearl Patterson and Ella Simcox – Fourth in Publication Design.

r Maxwell Ferguson – elected PA FBLA Vice President at Large.

The follow Jersey Shore members placed in the top 10:

r Maxwell Ferguson – Fifth in Public Speaking I.

r Hannah Stemler – Fifth in Networking Concepts.

r Team of Dean Lundy and Tony Ramos – Eighth in Computer Game and Programming.

r Team of Luke Bischof and Averie Hess – Eighth in Publication Design.

r Connor Anderson – Eighth in Networking Concepts.

r Jaydyn Doebler-Miller – Ninth in Accounting I.

r Team of Gage Mann and Ashley Nichols – Ninth in Community Service Project.

During the conference, there were open events that students could compete in, along with their actual competitive event. Students could take as many of the tests as they wanted during the 2.5-hour time period when the tests were available.

The following students placed in the open events:

r Ezekiel Miller — First in The Internet, second in Google Tools, tenth in Computer Operating Systems.

r Connor Shade –Second in The Internet, ninth in Digital Tools.

PA FBLA presents the Who’s Who in PA FBLA awards and William Selden Scholarships to the top 15 members in the state based on their four years of involvement with Pennsylvania FBLA. Beatrice Ferguson was recognized as fifth in the state and also received a $500 scholarship. This prestigious award was based on her 4-year high school career in FBLA. Beatrice is currently serving as Jersey Shore FBLA Chapter President and Region 7 President and has served in various local and regional officer positions all 4 years of her high school career.

Each year PA FBLA selects a State Project that all chapters across the state can participate in to provide community service hours and raise money throughout the school year. The 2016-2017 project was the National Kidney Foundation with PA FBLA raising $55,190. Jersey Shore was recognized as raising the seventh largest donation in the state with $1,973 in donations for this project, in addition to their awareness activities for the cause. Jersey Shore FBLA prides itself on the Community Service Hours that members continue to donate to various organizations throughout the school year. Thirteen members contributed to the chapter total of 331 hours.

In addition, the entire Jersey Shore FBLA Chapter placed third in the William Selden Outstanding Chapter Criteria.It is an honor that demonstrates tremendous planning, hard work, and commitment to the ideals of FBLA. This is especially impressive when you consider there are 293 local FBLA chapters with 13,601 members across the state. This award recognizes the Top 10 chapters at the State Leadership Conference based on the chapter’s efforts in the following categories: Membership, Public Relations, Chapter Management, Professional Development, Leadership Development, School and Community Projects, Financials, Conferences & Workshops, and Competitive Events. The Jersey Shore FBLA Chapter was also recognized for being the fifth largest Local Market Share Award with more than 25% of the senior high school population participating as members in the FBLA Chapter.

At the State Leadership Conference, the following FBLA members received recognition as members of the National Business Honor Society and will be officially inducted during our local induction ceremony on April 30 — Luke Bischof, Janel Eck, Beatrice Ferguson, Haylee Fishel, Sophia Hayes, Brianna Heller, Averie Hess, Pearl Patterson, Allison Schweikart, Hannah Stroble, Audrey Wacher, Kendra White, Ashlyn Wool.

The Future Business Leaders of America is a national career and technical student organization whose mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. The 184 members in the Jersey Shore chapter are a part of the Pennsylvania membership of approximately 13,600 in nearly 300 schools. For additional information, please visit www.pafbla.org and www.fbla-pbl.org.