Spokane Valley High's FBLA Team Thrives in Second Year
Last year, Spokane Valley High started a Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter for its students, and they are just wrapping up a strong second year.
FBLA is the premier organization for student leaders preparing for careers in finance, business, management, entrepreneurship, and technology. FBLA is an organization that provides real-world, hands-on experiences and enhances students' educational experiences by giving them an opportunity to showcase their education, skills, and preparation in a competitive setting. FBLA's mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. Additionally, FBLA prepares students to enter the workplace as leaders and innovators who are confident in their abilities and have put in the time and effort to prepare themselves for meaningful careers in their communities.
In only its second year, the chapter increased its membership from 8 members to 17. It was recognized at the State Business Leadership Conference with a Marketshare award, which is calculated from the percentage of the overall enrollment involved in FBLA. They had seven students compete at the conference in various events, with three students finishing in the top 10 of their events and another team finishing in the top 15 of their event. Overall, their year was a huge success, and they are excited to see how they can grow next year. The FBLA chapter also runs two student-based enterprises.
This year, they worked hard to improve their student store and coffee shop, the Phoenix Brew, by expanding the menu, designating flavors and deals of the month, and having a store manager in charge of the daily operations. They provided concessions at the school's theatre productions, partnered with Pasadena Elementary School to sell hot cocoa at their Trunk-or-Treat event, and provided beverages for the school's Family Night to kick off the year. In addition, they were open either in the mornings or at lunchtime four days a week.
The FBLA chapter also opened a T-shirt business, the Phoenix Press. A West Valley Education Foundation grant allowed them to purchase the equipment to start the business, and they were off and running! They were able to make shirts for SVH's Winter Fest, the WVSD Block Party, the Junior Lilac Parade Rotary volunteers, the SVH theatre group, various FBLA events, and they are currently in the process of making their Senior class shirts. Their hope for next year is to expand the T-shirt business further and be able to take on multiple large orders at once.
