It is never to early to start practicing the skills needed for job placement in the competitive world of business.
Nine Oxford High School students put those skills to the test when they competed in the Business Professionals of America (BPA) regional competition at Baker College in Flint on Saturday, Jan. 9.
When the event concluded, OHS seniors Rachel Allen, Brittany Brady and Coty Perreault were selected as state finalists based on presentations they gave in computerized accounting, interviewing skills and administrative support concepts.
The trio will compete at the state competition in Grand Rapids March 18-21.
BPA is the leading Career Technical Student Organization for students who are interested in pursuing careers in business management, office administration, information technology and other related career fields.
They offer curriculum support, based on national standards, to business and information technology educators across the nation.
Co-advisor Maria Wolbert was thrilled with how well the students performed during the competition.
‘This was the first year that we have had this chapter in over 20 years. This was all brand new. Nobody knew what to expect,? said Wolbert.
Allen and Brady were the overall winners in their respective categories.
Allen won first place in the Interview Skills division. She had to pre-submit an application, cover letter and resume to a panel of judges before she conducted an interview with the panel.
The panel judged her cover letter and resume on content, grammar and overall attractiveness.
During the interview, the panel looked for Allen to demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills, quality grooming, proper dress and discuss the understanding of work ethics and work environments.
Because of her first place finish, she was awarded two free college credit hours if she chose to attend Baker in the future.
Brady was the top place finisher in the Computerized Accounting division. She was asked to computerize business records for a fictitious merchandising company and present what she did to a panel of judges.
She was tested in her ability to apply generally accepted accounting principles in order to determine the value of assets, liabilities and owner’s equity as well as prepare, interpret and analyze financial statements using computerized systems.
In addition to placing first in Computerized Accounting, she made the state competition by placing fifth in the Administrative Support Concepts division.
This event was open to every single participant, and it consisted of a multiple choice and true/false questions that evaluated the students knowledge of basic administrative support concepts, such as general office procedures, customer service skills and filing.
The final state finalist was senior Coty Perreault, who placed fifth in the Computerized Accounting division.
Advisor Lynn Hammis noted that during his presentation, his USB flash drive crashed, which left him without a majority of his presentation.
‘The fact that he still placed fifth was wonderful,? Wolbert added
‘We were just so pleased that going in cold without knowing what the tests were like, that they did so well,? said Wolbert.
According to Wolbert, the students competed against more than 500 students in each division.
OHS Assistant Principal Paul McDevitt was really impressed with the work the students did in their first year.
‘I think you set the bar high for the future of this program. I would like to congratulate all of you,? he said.
The students had to work outside of the classroom in order to prepare for the regional competition.
‘It was a lot of time and dedication,? said Hammis.
Now they will have more than two months to fine-tune their thoughts and ideas before heading to the state competition on March 18.
According to Senior Shelby Stockard, who is the OHS Chapter President of BPA, the organization ‘provides students with the characteristics that are essential for a successful worker, like education, citizenship, loyalty, patriotism and confidence.?
‘It allows students to showcase their knowledge and talents, serve the community and meet new people,? Stockard added.
Currently, BPA has more than 51,000 members throughout its 2,300 chapters in 23 states.