MMS and MGMS FBLA students find success at regional competition

Neither a late start nor snow-packed roads could stop the Future Business Leaders of America in Morgan County. On Dec. 8, seventh and eighth graders from Morgan Middle School and Mountain Green Middle School competed in the Northern Region Business competition at Syracuse Arts Academy. 

Nineteen students from MMS participated in what is their second year of FBLA with nine placing in their category. The students who placed in their events include: Devyn Young, Elevator Speech, fifth place; Devyn Young and Martina Gonzalez, Exploring Business Issues, third place; Marissa Davis, FBLA Missing and Pledge, second place, Lexi Clark, FBLA Mission and Pledge first Place, Maeli London, FBLA Concepts second place; Xavier Cornelius and Nicholas Hardman, Video Game Challenge second place; Avy London and Marli George, Business Ethics, third place; Marli George, Financial Literacy third place.

Of the 30 students who participated in the inaugural year of FBLA at MGMS, 17 placed in the competition. The students who placed in their group presentation events include Trey Galbraith, Rocky Mansfield, and Cole Mueller, Marketing Mix second place; Reece Crowther, Abigail Mindes, and Brooklyn DeVries, Critical Thinking fourth place; Greta Sill, Melia Rollins, and Sophia Wimmer, Critical Thinking, third place; Andrew Stocking and Cameron Morgan, Exploring Business Issues, fifth place. 

Additionally, several students placed individually in various categories of the Objective Tests: Andrew Stocking, Exploring Technology first place; Aaralyn Auxier, Interpersonal Communication first place; Brightyn DeBoer, Career Exploration fifth place; Kate Hiatt, Career Exploration third place and Business Etiquette fifth place; Cameron Morgan, FBLA Concepts, fifth place; Averyella Johnson, Career Exploration fourth place; Major Seeley, Exploring Computer Science, fourth place; Dylan Wilkinson, Exploring Computer Science fifth place.

These middle schools are in a unique situation where the two FBLA advisors at the two different schools are husband and wife, Dustin and Krachel Fullmer. After starting the FBLA program at MMS last year, Dustin followed suit at MGMS this year. Both are business teachers and Digital Lit. teachers at their respective schools. 

They view the competition as a huge success, in part because the majority of the students who competed at the competition were junior high students from bigger schools. "If you think about it, our schools only have seventh and eighth graders competing up against these big junior highs from the valley and we don't have ninth graders in our schools,” stated Krachel. “But we're going in there and competing with the best of them and doing a great job." 

Krachel noted that her students showed improvement from last year. “This is the second year for Morgan Middle School students to compete in the regional event,” she said.  "Last year we had five students place at regions. Lexi Clark competed at both Region and State but didn't place at either one. This year she came back and took first! Last year Martina Gonzalez was afraid to compete in a presentation event, but then she partnered with Devyn Young and together they brought home a third-place finish. Marli George and Nicholas Hardman have never competed, but both came home with awards. I am very proud of each of them for going outside of their comfort zone and trying something they have never done before."

“I am so proud of all of the students who were able to get out of their comfort zone and present or prepare for one of the objective tests,” commented Dustin. “We had no idea what to expect coming into this competition and we came in and crushed it, together. They all should be proud of their performance and now have the experience to compete in future competitions." 

The main purpose of FBLA is to inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. Students will now prepare for the FBLA middle-level state competition which will take place in early 2024. λ