Vermont's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) conference is an annual event that recently took place at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington. Students from Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU) had a chance to compete with business students from around the state in a variety of business-related competitive events. This year, 21 students from CVU attended the conference and several won awards.

The event prepares students to attend the National FBLA Conference, if they so choose.
The most competitive events at the conference are the written exams, ranging from entrepreneurship and network design, to business law and computer concepts. Interactive events include a job interview, business ethics, and management decision-making, when students are given a scenario and they present how they would handle the situation. Other popular events include impromptu and public speaking.

Students can also submit a business plan under the written reports category. Chapters can also submit an annual report that documents all the work done by the chapter over the year. This written report allows chapters to compete for Outstanding Chapter of the Year.

Adam Kaufman was elected FBLA state secretary, Evan Morehouse was elected FBLA state northern vice president, and Jacob Grasso was elected FBLA state treasurer. These three students are part of the leadership team that plans all events and activities for Vermont FBLA. It is quite an honor to run and to be elected for these positions.

The following CVU students also won awards at the conference:

Giles Crelly-Byers: second place Accounting 1, fifth place Entrepreneurship, third place Personal Finance

Jacob Grasso: fifth place Banking and Financial Services

Mitchell Precourt: first place Banking and Financial Services

Jonah Cantor: second place Banking and Financial Services, fourth place Business Ethics, honorable mention Word Processing I

Ditra Backup: fourth place Business Communications, third place Public Speaking III

Jeff Wettstein: fourth place Business Ethics, third place Management Decision Making

Elizabeth Maille: third place Business Ethics, second place Entrepreneurship, fourth place Global Business

Ellen Reinhardt: third place Business Ethics, first place Global Business

Kidder Spillane: first place Business Math, second place Introduction to Business

Oren Klempner: second place Business Math, first place Introduction to Business, first place Introduction to Business Communications

Tim Averill: fourth place Client Services, first place Management Decision Making, fifth place Marketing

Rylee Kilbride: fourth place Entrepreneurship, fifth place Introduction to Business

Nora Kaszubowski: fourth place Impromptu Speaking II

Kyle Miller: second place Impromptu Speaking II, second place Job Interview III, fourth place Public Speaking II

Ryan Busch: fifth place Management Decision Making, third place Marketing

Miles Grunvald: second place Management Decision Making

Adam Kaufman: first place Marketing