Area students participate in business competition

THE NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE Campus was buzzing with activity Jan. 30, as 176 high school students representing nine North Idaho schools competed in the Business Professionals of America regional competition.

The students participated in 70 different events, hoping to make their way to the state competition in Boise March 5, and eventually to nationals. The schools represented, all from Region I, included Lake City, Coeur d'Alene, Lakeland, Lakeside, Kootenai, St. Maries, Wallace, Kellogg and Bonners Ferry high schools.

Sophomore Sarah Gleason, from Lakeland, aspires to be a certified public accountant. She competed in fundamentals of accounting and Visual Basic programming. Her schoolmate, junior Jennifer Smithson competed in computer graphic promotion, a skill that could be applied to computer software or games. Both thought they had good chances of advancing.

Kootenai High School in Harrison was well represented. Senior Tabitha Kraack competed in an administrative support team. Senior Holly Finney and juniors Tony Kraack, Robert Goodson and David Palmiter made up a parliamentary procedure team. Sophomore Kali Furman bravely chose extemporaneous speech.

"You go in and they have 10 topics, and you pick two randomly," Furman said. "You have 10 minutes to prepare, then you give a speech."

Samantha Haines, a sophomore from St. Maries, also did the extemporaneous or improv speech. She said it was fun, but stressful not knowing what the topic is going to be until shortly before the presentation. Her classmate Ashley Overacker competed in a small business management team.

Fifteen students represented Wallace. Senior Claire Lavigne thought that basic office systems and procedures, and spreadsheets were her strength. Senior Brooke Capparelli competed in basic and medical office procedures. Senior Tiffany Wild competed in spreadsheets and databases. Both thought they did pretty well.

The event was coordinated by Paola Trottier the Region I BPA adviser who is from Lakeside High School in Plummer.

The students who advance to the state championships have to pay their own way.

"We do a lot of fund-raisers all year," said Janis Engwer, BPA adviser for Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. "We did a major one last year; we delivered Hagadone directories and made $1,400. It's not a free ride; the kids work hard."

Rich Peterson, the BPA adviser from Kellogg said that all the advisers are business teachers in their respective schools.

"The real reason for existence is getting a job, which is the business courses, and the professionaltechnical areas," Peterson said. "Sometimes the state or the school districts don't give enough emphasis on all that."

Engwer and Peterson said that a lot of the high school students in business courses get college credit for taking classes under the professional-technical programs. Most students end up getting 12 to 13 credits while still attending high school.

First-place winners advancing to the state competition are: Sarah Gleason, Lakeland, fundamentals of accounting; Hollie Lassiter, Lakeland, advanced accounting; Jake Will, Wallace, computerized accounting; Mitch Krupp, Kootenai, payroll accounting; Sharah Hughes, St. Maries, spreadsheet applications and analysis; Dusty Worthington, St. Maries, banking and finance; Tonya Pesturo, Danielle Ferraro and Randi Adams, Kellogg, financial analyst team; and Katry Gray, Wallace, economic research project, individual.

Lena Myers, Vanessa Chappell, Kim Davis and Heather Green, St. Maries, economic research project, team; Kiana Muhs, St. Maries, keyboarding production; Michelle Janson, Lakeside, fundamentals of word processing; Amy Luther, St. Maries, advanced word processing; Brenda Howe, St. Maries, integrated office applications; Rikki Cloos, Wallace, desktop publishing; Amy Luther, St. Maries, basic office systems and procedures; and Erin Sather, St. Maries, advanced office systems and procedures.

Veronica Hendricks, Kootenai, legal office procedures; Emily Mavity, St. Maries, medical office procedures; Brenda Howe, St. Maries, database applications; Cassie Scheffelmier, Veronica Hendricks and Amy Collins, Kootenai, administrative support team; David Chruch, Wallace, programming, and Visual Basic programming; Alexander Francisco and Gordon Cox, St. Maries, software engineering team; Gordon Cox, computer network technology; and Joshua Reed, Bonners Ferry, PC servicing and troubleshooting.

Jesse Moyer, Bonners Ferry, Cisco systems and administration; Jesse Moyer and Trevor Palaniuk, Bonners Ferry, network design team; Danae Lacy, Reyna Torres and Jerel Hight, Lakeside, Web site development team; Bo Matucha, St. Maries, fundamentals of HTML; Terrisa McCall, Jesse Barker, Betsey Bentcik and Tiffany Charles, St. Maries, global marketing team; and Kristyn Shiner, Wallace, entrepreneurship.

Heidi Rauch, Ashley Overacker, Nicole Nemeth and Kydra Kells, St. Maries, small business management team; Jerry DuFresne, Lakeland, graphic design promotion; Lisa Carver, Wallace, interviewing skills; Lena Myers, St. Maries, advanced interviewing skills; Travis Christensen, St. Maries, extemporaneous speech; Alexander Francisco, St. Maries, human resource management; Elissa Fly, Kootenai, prepared speech; and Jesse Spencer, Kellogg, presentation management, individual.

Mariana Barden, Erin Sather and Jenna Robin, St. Maries, presentation management team; Linda Scheffelmeier, Katy Palmiter, David Palmiter, Heather Iares, Tony Kraack, Robert Goodson, Holly Finney and Heather Dorrell, Kootenai, parliamentary procedure team; Felicia Holmquist, Wallace, financial math analysis; Rikki Cloos, Wallace, administrative support concepts; Heather Dorrell, Kootenai, parliamentary procedure concepts; Josh Reed, Bonners Ferry, information technology concepts; and Rikki Cloos, Wallace, management/ marketing/human resource concepts.

Button design deadline

Designs must be submitted by March 5 for the Arbor Day Button Art contest, open to middle and high school students who live in the Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls or Lakeland school districts.

The winning art will be featured on a button that will be distributed along with tree seedlings to fourth-grade students in April. The winner will receive a $50 savings bond, a T-shirt featuring the artwork and a supply of Arbor Day buttons to give to family and friends.

Information regarding the contest has been distributed to school art teachers and is also available at the Coeur d'Alene Parks Department, Post Falls Parks and Recreation and the Forest Service Nursery.

Fund-raising opportunity

Triple Play family bowling and sports center, 175 W. Orchard in Hayden, is holding fund-raising social nights for any area schools that wish to participate.

Organized by the various parent-volunteer organizations, families can enjoy all of the fun with 50 percent of the proceeds going back into the host school's coffers.

To reserve a night for your school, call Mike Murphy at 762-7529, ext. 20.

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