BPA chapter captures honors at national conference

Members of Lake City High School's Chapter of Excellence Award committee are, from left, Colleen Orr, Taran Loper, Pat Hanlon, Chelsey Sampson, Alyssa Allen, Elizabeth Doherty, Ashley White and Megan Schultz. The award was one of many received by Lake City students at the BPA national leadership conference.

The Lake City High School chapter of Business Professionals of America returned from the national leadership conference in Anaheim, Calif., with seven of nine $1,000 scholarships awarded in the WeSeed Social Circle Challenge Contest.

Six LCHS students also placed in the top 10 in their category at the May 5-9 competition. Keifer Hofacker was second in Information Technical Concepts and fifth in Computer Security; the team of Alyssa Allen, Marie Burns and Taran Loper was fifth in Computer Animation, and the team of Jared Dibble and Chelsey Sampson was sixth in website Design.

WeSeed scholarships went to Alyssa Millhouse, Morgan Kelley, Pat Hanion, Nikki Webster, Ashley White and Megan Shultz. Alyssa Allen was one of three grand prize winners receiving not only the $1,000 scholarship but a Netbook computer and a paid internship to Peak 6 Investments in Chicago. WeSeed is a social networking site designed to teach students about the stock market and investments.

The Lake City chapter was one of 10 schools earning the Chapter of Excellence award, reflecting a culmination of activities the chapter participated in throughout the year. These awards are what determine the State Professional Cup award that Idaho received this year.

The special recognition national chapter awards, and students who chaired that effort, included: Community Relief Service, Ashley White; Community Action and Environmental Awareness, Chelsey Sampson; Marketing and Public Relations, Pat Hanlon; National Capital Improvements Campaign, Taran Loper; Safety Awareness, Elizabeth Doherty; Special Olympics, Chelsey Sampson; and Chapter Award of Excellence, Schultz, Hanlon, Doherty, Sampson, Allen, Loper and White.

Individual special recognition national awards went to Brittany Brown, Morgan Kelley, Keegan Kelly, Megan Schultz and Alyssa Millhouse for Entrepreneurship Exploration, and to Pat Hanlon and Lexy Buell for Member Recruiter. Students winning Ambassador Torch Awards were Elizabeth Doherty, Ashley White, Pat Hanlon, Megan Schultz, Colleen Orr and Chelsey Sampson. Colleen Orr was awarded second place in the Merit Scholar award and Lake City High advisers Bill and Tacey Keylon were honored as National Honor Advisers.