Some of Deptford Township’s best and brightest students will compete with the state’s top business students this spring.
Deptford Township High School Spartan School of Business and Future Business Leaders of America qualified for the FBLA state conference competition in March. The four-day event will take place at Harrah’s in Atlantic City from March 20 to 23.
“There are bragging rights on the line,” said Chris Sheeper, a business education teacher, department head for career and technical education, and the FBLA advisor at the high school. “Throughout the fall, students sign up for business events, and in December there’s a regional competition. In our region, greater southern New Jersey, they all compete in the same online, virtual business events … there are 30 different events. Historically we have done well as a chapter. (Now) they’ll compete to be the best in New Jersey.”
The students who will represent Deptford in Atlantic City are: Eugene Lutz (who finished in first place in Network Concepts in the qualifying region), Nazifa Akter (third place, Business Communications), Semmet Letizia (third place, Business Law), Brady Dunn (fourth place, Help Desk), May Mills (fifth place, Computer Applications), Hunter Dickson (sixth place, Business Applications), Brett Berglund (sixth place, Business Law), Darnel Demby (seventh place, Business Law), Serea Amuzu (eight place, advertising), Jaden Newman (eighth place, Computer Problem Solving), and Emily Hammett (eighth place, Economics).
They’ll compete with what Sheeper estimates as a “couple thousand” students throughout the state in Atlantic City, where they’ll also have the opportunity to listen to professional speakers and have networking opportunities, too.
“It’s a big deal, a big turnout,” Sheeper said.
Deptford Township High School’s Spartan School of Business is in its fourth year, thus, this school year brings its first graduating class.
“I’m extremely proud of this group,” Sheeper said. “They kind of learned the ropes as we went through and helped build the academy to be the success that it is now. They’ve matured and grown a lot through the years. And many of them are excited about it, they know come graduation time they’ll get special recognition.”
For more information on the Future Business Leaders of America state conference competition, log onto njfbla.org.
