Top students from Clay’s Computer Programming, Info Tech II, and Visual Communication (VCom) classes participated in the Business Professionals of America (BPA) State Workplaces Skills Assessment Competitions in Columbus, Ohio on March 17th and 18th. Over 3,000 students from all around the state participated in 57 contest areas. Nine Clay students placed in the top ten for the state of Ohio and five of these students will compete at the 2011 BPA National Leadership Conference in Washington, DC in May. Clay students who placed at the State level are as follows:

From Computer Programming

Vincent Baker, Nico Castillja, and Cody Downour – Top 10 in the  Administrative Support Team event.
Pam Fix – Top 10 in the Economic Research Project, Individual event.

From Visual Communications (VCom)

Cory Folk, Josh Pappas, and Tyler Sloyer – First Place in the Computer Animation Team event.  NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Billy Byers and Mary Lee – Second Place in the Economic Research Project, Team event.  NATIONAL QUALIFIER.

Pictured from Left to Right: Josh Pappas, Cory Folk, Tyler Sloyer, Mary Lee, and Billy Byers.

VCom students, Cory Folk, Josh Pappas, Tyler Sloyer, Billy Byers, and Mary Lee will be attending the BPA 2011 National Leadership Conference, “Stand Out From the Crowd,” in Washington DC, May 4-8, 2011.  Clay VCom chapter members will join over 5,000 other conference delegates from across the nation to participate in national level business skills competitions, workshops, general sessions, and the national officer candidate campaigns and elections.  Besides having the opportunity to excel, they’ll experience the history and government of our nation through Washington, DC monuments, memorials and museums.

The unique highlight of the conference this year will be the National Leadership Conference Opening Session at the foot of the Washington Monument.  All conference attendees will stand together at this historic site as the first Career/Technical Student Organization to gather at the National Mall.
“The conference will be the culmination of a school years worth of business skills education and training which members of the local chapter of Business  Professionals of America at Clay have received,” said chapter advisor, Dawn Thompson, who teaches Visual Communications (VCom). 

Business Professionals of America is a national organization for high school, college, and middle school students preparing for careers in business and information technology.  The organization’s activities and programs complement classroom instruction by giving students practical experience through application of the skills learned at school.  Business Professionals of America acts as a cohesive agent in the nationwide networking of education and business and industry.  BPA is contributing to the preparation of a world-class workforce through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic, and technological skills.

Business Professionals of America is assisted in this endeavor with financial support from corporations and companies including AICPA, Microsoft, Adobe, CIW-Certification Partners, Shell and South-Western/Cengage, who sponsor BPA’s National Leadership Conference, and member career building programs and scholarships