PHS Business Professionals headed for National Finals

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth High School BPA (Business Professionals of America) students competed in the State Leadership Conference last weekend, with many advancing to the National Leadership Conference.

The state contest was held in Indianapolis from Feb. 27 to March 1. The PHS students, coached by business teacher Chad Miley, fared extremely well.

“The administrative support team advanced to Nationals for second straight year. This year there were three new members,” Miley said, “And the small business management team won its third state championship in four years. This year’s team had no returning members from the 2009 state championship team.”

Sarah Gouker and Scott Cawthon advanced to National Leadership Conference for the second year in a row.  Competitors Eric Blake, Fletch Craft, and Kelly Bryant advanced to National Leadership Conference in both of their competitive events. Bryt Hiatt advanced to National Leadership Conference for the second time in four years and won his second state championship.

Additionally, PHS had five state champions and six state runnerups at this year’s state conference making this the most successful in PHS history.

“PHS is sending a school record of 12 members to the National
Leadership Conference,” Miley said.

Individual placings for the team were: Payroll accounting: Fletch Craft, third; fundamental spreadsheets: Eric Blake, state champion; keyboarding production: Kelly Bry-ant, state runner-up; Scott Cawthon, sixth; fundamental word processing: Kelly Bryant, fifth; desktop publishing: Kelli Weist, 10th; basic ofice systems and procedures: Sam Van Voorhis, sixth; prepared speech: Sarah Gouker, third; extemporaneous speech: Patrick Felke, state finalist (sixth); administrative support team state runner-up: Eric Blake, Scott Cawthon, Fletch Craft, Morgan Hill; small business management team state champions: Courtney Harris, Bryt Hiatt, Maja Howard, Lane Singleton; advanced spreadsheets: Karl Faulstich, 10th; computer security: Logan May, state runner-up.

Logan May was medalist winner in open events: Marketing, management, and human resource concepts, where he was third; information technology concepts where he was sixth; and financial math and analysis, third.