THOMASVILLE — Thomas County Central High School Future Business Leaders of America chapter continues to dominate, winning the Georgia FBLA Region 1 Conference and Competition for the 11th consecutive year.

“In total, our members took home 77 medals competing in 37 different event categories,” TCCHS FBLA Head Adviser Nicholas Haskin said. “We remain the only FBLA chapter in Georgia to win the Region Sweepstakes Trophy [for their region] every year since its inception. Competing against 18 other counties, our students continue to shine and compete at the highest levels. We are so incredibly proud of all our students!”

Sophomore Ethan Mainprize enjoyed showcasing his abilities in individual events and felt honored at being part of the victorious team.

“I think that the positive attitude and the great mindset of all of the TCCHS FBLA members were what pushed us to the top,” he said. “Everyone who studied day in and day out for their tests, everyone who constantly worked on their presentations or other projects, and the overall attitude of everyone in FBLA were what was able to allow us to win.”

Freshman Heali Patel, 15, a newbie to FBLA this year, relishes being part of such an accomplishment.

“It feels great knowing that we added another year to FBLA’s multiple victories,” she said. “I feel accomplished that my hard work has paid off.”

Junior Shelbie Ducharme expressed pride in the program and everyone involved in TCCHS FBLA. This includes members and their advisers Mindy Pierce, Mark Thompson, Brandi Miranda, and Haskin, as well as assistant principals Beth Adams and Karen Jones.

“I believe our experienced advisers have helped my classmates and me to perform to the best of our abilities within our respective events,” Ducharme said. 

Given continued complications from COVID, members completed tests and presentations online. Region testing took place in December 2021, while participants recorded and uploaded presentations to YouTube and submitted those for judging in January.   

“Competing in the age of COVID means adapting to recording presentations, talking to a camera, and trying to become more disciplined so that the product you produce is equivalent to how we would perform ‘in person,’” Haskin said. 

Patel competed in Introduction to Public Speaking. She placed second in region competition and advanced to state.

“I had to present on the topic of incorporating the FBLA goal of confidence in our work,” she said. “Because the region competition was virtual, I had to record my presentation and then send it in. I feel proud of my score and the feedback I got from the judges. I think I did pretty well for being new to the club and events.”

Mainprize won first place in Intro to Information Technology, which qualified him for state, and second in Website Design.

“In IT, they do a little bit of everything, from making spreadsheets to fixing large-scale networks and everything in between,” he said. “I also competed in Website Design, which is where you build a website for a local business in your area. I feel very pleased to place how I did in my events. My dad was a huge help, as he is an IT director, and he was able to help me through any questions that I had.”

The 2022 Georgia FBLA State Leadership Conference and Competition is March 10-13 in Atlanta. TCCHS qualified 25 students. Qualifying students plan to work hard in the weeks leading up to the competition to improve and polish their entries.

“By using feedback from the judges, I will improve my presentation to better it for the state competition,” Patel said. “One thing that I am keeping in mind is that I need to fix every issue, even if it is big or small because state judges are harsher when it comes to judging. For me to move on to nationals, I need to understand that I am competing against people all over the state who have also scored very well.”

Ducharme, who placed first and advanced to state competition in Social Media Strategy, anticipates improving her presentation.

“I had to create a PowerPoint Presentation based on a rubric created by FBLA officials and then record myself presenting it to turn in to the judges,” she said. “I definitely know there are ways for me to improve before state, so I look forward to refining my presentation before then.”

TCCHS FBLA REGION WINNERS/STATE QUALIFIERS

1st Place Winners/Region Champions

Norman Desourdy (Accounting)*

Christian Miranda (Banking & Financial Systems)

Norman Desourdy (Business Calculations) *

Caleb Kinneer (Business Communication) *

Bowen Dennard (Business Management)

Bishop Jackson (Future Business Leader) *

Ellie Muniz (Hospitality & Event Management Team)

Melia Saunders 

Shane Sanford (Intro to Business Procedures) *

Kayla Carr (Intro to Event Planning)

Hayden Groom (Intro to Financial Math) *

Ethan Mainprize (Intro to Information Technology) *

Emily Bishop (Parliamentary Procedure Team)

Donald Davis

Claire Pope

Loxley Slocumb

Caleb Kinneer (Personal Finance) *

Loxley Slocumb (Electronic Career Portfolio) *

Karsyn Bush (Job Interview) *