Wisconsin FBLA e-Bulletin LogoNewsletter


Volume XI, Issue 1

September, 2012

In this issue
President's Welcome
Meet the New State Officer Team
Social Media
Video Conferences
National Programs
Going Green with FBLA
Fall Leadership Labs
Chapter Showcase

   President's Welcome

Article by Allison Hill, State President

 

Wisconsin FBLA Members and Advisers:

 

The 2012-2013 school year is already upon us!  Your state officer team has been hard at work this summer preparing for the upcoming FBLA year.  We have many exciting plans in place with a focus on social media, service and FBLA national programs.  Wisconsin FBLA has undergone a variety of changes over the past year, and we can expect that these changes will provide new opportunities, enhance competition and amplify our success as a state chapter.

 

The fall is a time to grow as a leader and prepare for competition at your respective Regional Leadership Conference.  However, I would also encourage you to begin participating in an FBLA national program called the Business Achievement Awards (BAA).  This program provides an opportunity for members, brand new and experienced alike, to hone their leadership skills early in the year before competition. I encourage you to talk to your local chapter advisor about registering for this program within the next few weeks. 


I wish you the best of luck with recruitment this fall, and I look forward to Igniting Innovation together at the upcoming Fall Leadership Labs and at various other conferences throughout the year!

   Meet the New State Officer Team! 

Article by Chelsea Clark, State Vice President

  

 

Allison Hill is your 2012-2013 State President. She is beginning her senior year at Portage High School and is active in golf, softball, and the National Honor Society of Portage H.S. Allison helps out the underclassmen in her school by participating in her school's Freshman Mentor Program. You can follow Allison on Twitter at @wifblapres13

Chelsea Clark is just starting her junior year at Cochrane-Fountain City High School. Chelsea is excited to be serving you as your 2012-2013 State Vice President. Along with FBLA Chelsea is involved in choir, student council and plays volleyball. You can follow her on Twitter at @wifblavp13.

Lexie Helsell is your new State Secretary/Treasurer. She is entering her junior year at Lomira High School. In addition to FBLA, Lexie plays softball, is in her school's pep band and loves to read. You can connect to her on Twitter at @wifblasectrea13.

Your State Reporter for this 2012-2013 school year is Kate Bergum. Kate is excited to be beginning her senior year at Superior High School. Along with FBLA, Kate is active in the theater program at Superior High School and she enjoys travelling. Kate can be followed on Twitter at @wifblareport13.

Stormy Gerndt is the State Parliamentarian for the 2012-2013 year. Stormy is just starting her senior year at Suring High School. Stormy loves hunting, fishing and spending time outdoors. Stormy also enjoys playing for the Suring H.S. volleyball team and participating in track and field. Keep up with Stormy on Twitter at @wifblaparli13.

Spencer Smith is your Region I Vice President. Spencer is a senior at Cameron High School. In addition to being in FBLA, Spencer runs cross country and plays basketball and baseball. His favorite T.V. show is the Big Bang Theory and he enjoys hunting and fishing. You can follow Spencer on Twitter at @wifblareg1vp13.

Your new Region II Vice President is Sam Solatycki from Pittsville High School. Sam is very happy to be starting his senior year. In addition to FBLA, he is an active member in his school's FFA, HOSA and FCCLA chapters. Sam plays football for his high school and also runs track. You can follow Sam on Twitter at @wifblareg2vp13.

Your newly elected Region III Vice President is Brittany Proehl of Two Rivers High School. Brittany is a thrower for her high school track team and also a member of the volleyball team at Two Rivers. You can find her working at the Piggly Wiggly in her home town. Brittany can be followed on Twitter at @wifblareg3vp13.

Christa Sokup is your 2012-2013 Region IV Vice President from Arcadia High School. Christa is involved in the band program, FFA and is the manager of the girls basketball team at Arcadia H.S. Christa is beginning her junior year, and you can follow her on Twitter at @wifblareg4vp13.

Your 2012-2013 Region V Vice President is Alex Molland from Beloit Memorial High School. Alex is just starting his junior year and is active in the Student Senate program at Beloit Memorial High School and is a member of the Kids Against Hunger Leadership Team. You can stay up to date on what Alex is doing by following him on Twitter at @wifblareg5vp13.

Teegan Robers is your new Region VI Vice President. Teegan is from Whitewater High School and is beginning her senior year. Teegan is on Whitewater's cross country, basketball and track teams. She is also an active member of Students Against Destructive Decisions and the National Honor Society. Catch up with Teegan on Twitter at @wifblareg6vp13.

Laura Sepulveda is the Region VII Vice President for this 2012-2013 year. Laura is the Senior Class President at Oak Creek High School. Along with FBLA Laura is involved in Model U.N. and Skills USA. Laura also enjoys playing basketball and soccer. Follow Laura on Twitter at @wifblareg7vp13.

 


  
   2012 NLC Winners
 

Article by Christa Sokup, Region IV Vice President

  

The National Leadership Conference was held in San Antonio, Texas on June 29th through July 2nd, 2012. It was a very successful year for Wisconsin, with many members placing in their competitive events. It takes hard work, determination and commitment to FBLA to make it to the national level. Congratulations to the 2012 FBLA National Leadership Conference top ten winners!

 

 

 

1st- Keegan VanWormer, Business Math, from Sparta Meadowview M.S.

1st- Sam Jagodzinski, Business Procedures, from Burlington

2nd- Kate Freese & Anna Gasperetti, Desktop Publishing, from Whitewater

4th- Anna Klonowski, Jenna Orr & Matthew Swanson, Community Service Project, from Rice Lake

4th- Landon McGuire, Job Interview, from Cochrane- Fountain City

4th- Sean Zoske, Networking Concepts, from Menomonee Falls

5th- Brett Besaw, Hospitality Management, from Stevens Point Area Senior

5th- Mark Boardman & Matt Nelson, Management Information Systems, from Baraboo

6th- Tess Buege, Jarek DeBauche & Carissa Trepanier, Business Ethics, from Oconto Falls

6th- Jeremy Oaks, Computer Problem Solving, from Superior

6th- Tate Wrage, Introduction to Technology Concepts, from Medford Senior

6th- Matt Conrady, Sports Management, from Menomonee Falls

6th- Tyler Lafler & Ryan Peterson, Virtual Business Challenge, from Portage

7th- Colten Parr, Public Speaking 1, from Lomira

8th- Jasmine Wang, E-business, from Onalaska

8th- Jorday Gunnelson, Scott Johnson & Mike Weber, Global Business, from Germantown

8th- Allison Hill, Job Interview, from Portage

9th- Hailey Bormann, Accounting 2, from Waunakee

9th- Jessica Bratland, Business Communications, from Belmont

9th- Hannah Keeser & Marianne Moser, Business Financial Plan, from Milton

9th- Alyssa Alfano & Emily Alfano, Emerging Business Issues, from Kenosha Tremper

9th- Greg Boknevitz, Kelly Delano & Nico Lopez, Network Design, from St. Francis

9th- Chamila Amithirigala, Public Speaking 2, from Sheboygan North

10th- Taylor Zimprich, Business Calculations, from Waunakee

10th- Saurabh Jain, Business Math, from Menomonee Falls

10th- Megan Schultz, Digital Design & Promotion, from DeForest

10th- Stephanie Glyzewski, Digital Video Production, from Oconomowoc Senior

10th- Caitlin O'Connell, Word Processing 1, from Waunakee

 

Stormy Gerndt     Social Media

Article by Stormy Gerndt, State Parliamentarian

 

State President Allison Hill recently tweeted "Have you registered for the 2012-2013 Business Achievement Awards? Talk to your adviser and get a jump start before school! #americaforme."

Twitter is just one of the many ways Wisconsin FBLA is becoming involved with social media. You can follow any of the state officers and check out their tweets by checking out their Twitter accounts, which are listed in the Meet the New State Officer Team article. Facebook is another strong media push for FBLA. Like the Wisconsin FBLA Facebook page to see what your FBLA state officers are up to and share your own FBLA experiences with fellow members. 

Lexie Helsell
  Video Conferences
Article by Lexie Helsell, State Secretary

Hello Wisconsin FBLA! Welcome back to another wonderful year brewing with lots of FBLA excitement! This year, your State Officer team is trying to increase communication between chapters and the State Officer team. We have introduced many new ways on in which we are going to do this, including Video Conferences.

A video conference is a way for the State Officer team to become more involved in your local chapters! We want to know how you're doing, what activities are taking place, and anything else FBLA related that you would like to share. Video Conferences are going to be set up through Skype. Your local adviser can request a video conference using the FBLA State Officer Meeting Request Form.  The state office will verify the form requirements that you will have at least three chapter members present along with your chapter adviser.  And of course, with every conference, there must always be a purpose! Your chapter will be expected to put together an agenda as part of the request form.

 

As you can see, this year our team is going to work hard to close the gap between the State Office and your local chapter. We are ready to take on your questions and can't wait to talk to you. We are so excited to work with you, so have your advisor set up a video conference sometime this year. We will be looking forward to it!

Sam Solatycki   National Programs
Article by Sam Solatycki, Region II Vice President

 

The national program September Sweeps is a great way to get recognized for maintaining and growing the membership in your local FBLA chapter. Put Wisconsin on the top 10 list by completing ten activities found on the national website prior to September 30. The Sweeps must be activated by an advisor on the national homepage.

 

Once you have built your membership base during September Sweeps, then prepare for Service In Sync. The goal of Service In Sync is to get FBLA members from all corners of the country to come together on February 16 and work on one community service project as a whole during FBLA week planned for February 10-16, 2013. Stay tuned for more information about this year's community service activity.

 

Need to help your chapter learn more about FBLA. Consider joining National President Nakitas Kanellakopoulos on September 12 during a webinar titled Welcome Back, It's Time to Innovate! 4pm EST or 6pm EST.

 

Laura Spulveda  Going Green with FBLA
Article by Laura Sepulveda, Region VII Vice President

 

In your daily life you've probably noticed that everything is green these days--in the news, politics, school, fashion and even technology. The truth is that every single thing that we do every day has an impact on our planet, whether it's good or bad. By embracing a greener lifestyle, we could ultimately improve the overall quality of life.


We, as Future Business Leaders of America, have made it our responsibility to set good examples not only in our FBLA-PBL organization but in our communities as well. That is why it's tremendously important that we become environmentally conscious and spread the word on what going green can do for us. We need to ensure that the rest of the surrounding communities understand the bigger picture. The FBLA National Go Green Project encourages chapters to participate in a self-directed and aggressive agenda that emphasizes 'green' leadership and teamwork that helps everyone make a positive impact on a global scale.


By following a step-by-step guide with ten activities and then creating your very own "Go Green" activity, your chapter could receive national recognition. It's as simple as completing the Online ECO Project and submitting it by May 15. I challenge you and your local chapter to take advantage of this opportunity. Be sure to plan ahead to ensure success, especially in the promotion and execution of your project. In order to get things started, all you have to do is get your local chapter adviser to register with the national office on the FBLA national website.


If your chapter has any questions about the national project, or if they need ideas on how they can "Go Green", or just want to share their progress, feel free to contact any of the state officers. I hope to hear from your chapter about all the ways you're thinking green.


It's time to get involved and reduce our carbon footprint. Best of luck in this adventure!

Spencer Smith   Fall Leadership Labs
Article by Spencer Smith, Region I Vice President
 

The Fall Leadership Labs will be held in 3 locations - Madison on October 9th, Appleton on October 17th and Eau Claire on October 18th. Four State Officer members, split into pairs, will be at each location. Each pair has been working hard throughout the summer to plan a workshop. One pair will be speaking about FBLA National Programs, and the other pair will be speaking about leadership in a Leadership 101 course. The use of social media in a positive, beneficial manner will also be discussed in both workshops.

 

The Fall Leadership Labs are a great way to meet new friends, learn more about FBLA and take your leadership skills to the next level. Each workshop has found a way to keep everybody active, included and interested throughout the course of the day. Join our officer team members at the location nearest you to 'Ignite Innovation' through FBLA.  Register Today!

   Chapter Showcase

Article by Alex Molland, Region V Vice President

 

It's that time of year again. School begins, local chapters begin to recruit new members, and the first chapter show case appears in the WFeB. Every chapter in Wisconsin is outstanding, which makes this a difficult decision. The chapter receiving this honor is one that shows the essence of FBLA through education, service, progress and support for one another.  Earning the local chapter showcase in this issue of WFeB is Portage FBLA.


Three words sit on top of the FBLA crest: education, service and progress. Portage FBLA continuously shows progress and accomplishment in these three areas. Taking part in national FBLA programs such as Service In-Sync, Portage members read books to younger student in order to tackle youth literacy.  In this project members provide community service while educating younger students about FBLA and reading.  The chapter of Portage also shows progress through their business partnerships with businesses like Cascade Mountain.  Portage chose Cascade Mountain for the Partnership with Business Project, a competitive event meant to strengthen ties with business leaders.  Progress in Portage can be observed through their commitment to the Business Achievement Awards, with six members completing the Future level and two members completing the Leader level. The support that members have for one another is what makes all of Portage's achievements possible.

 

Through their dedication to education, service and progress, Portage FBLA has earned the first local chapter showcase. There are still several issues of the WFeB to come this year so who will be next? This year's state officer team looks forward to seeing all the magnificent achievements of local chapters throughout this coming school year.  Looking for an innovative idea for your local chapter?  Check out the national Innovation Center.

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