North Cedar’s success is not an April Fool’s joke

'Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”

- Bill Bradley.

By Makayla Schluter, North Cedar

CLARENCE - Fourteen of the 23 members of the North Cedar Future Business Leaders of America chapter attended the state leadership conference on April 1.

The event was held at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Coralville and last three days. North Cedar's chapter attend only the April 1 session - the first year North Cedar has participated in the SLC.

There were many fun activities for members to participate in throughout the day, even when not competing. After a long day, students and advisers were treated to a formal dinner and banquet, followed by an entertaining hypnotist performance.

With more than 60 competitions to choose from, the students picked their favorite areas and tried their best. Sophomores Moriah Oberbreckling, Brittyn Wilhau, Makayla Schluter, Leah Crock and Mikayla Burcum and freshman Amy Schroeder all competed in the Vocabulary Relay. Junior Hannah Techau and seniors Katie Haker and Alex Bell competed in the Advanced Spelling Relay. Moriah Oberbreckling and Schluter also took the Healthcare Administration test while junior Rachel Heinen took the Business Calculations test and senior Mequela Witt took the Networking Concepts test.

Techau and sophomore Christina Foister designed and presented a website for a made-up, gluten-free restaurant for the website Design Contest. Senior Katie Haker also presented for Graphic Design and Alex Bell competed in Personal Finance. Junior Mallory Moore participated in the NLC T-shirt Design and Promotion and junior Shelby Alexander competed in Accounting I and Business Law.

'Since this is our second year in existence and our first year participating in competition, all I asked the members to do was to compete in one state or national qualifying competition event,” North Cedar FBLA adviser Jane Koch said. 'Fourteen of the 23 members took on the challenge and I'm very proud of them for braving the new and unknown adventure.”

The group's success wasn't an April Fools joke. North Cedar's chapter took home the third place award for Largest Percentage of Increase in Membership (69 percent). Haker received fifth place in Graphic Design, Schluter placed third in Healthcare Administration and has the opportunity to go to nationals along with Witt. who also has the opportunity to go to nationals by earning fourth place in Networking Concepts. Nationals are in Atlanta later this year.

Filled with new ideas and goals, North Cedar's FBLA already is preparing for next year's conference. No one expected such a great success this first year and they plan on only improving and making next year even more memorable.