Canby High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) are flying high after an impressive outing at the Oregon State Business Leadership Conference in Portland this weekend — highlighted by junior Pete Sansone being named Oregon FBLA state president for the 2022-23 school year.
“It is a surreal experience, and I am incredibly honored to be entrusted to help lead the organization forward,” Sansone told The Canby Current.
Tonya Boustead, Canby High School FBLA adviser and a board member for Oregon FBLA, said she was thrilled for the junior, who served as state secretary this year and did “such a great job.”
“I am so proud of Pete for his willingness to take on this extra responsibility with all of his other CHS activities,” she said. “He participates in athletics at CHS and is part of our [Associated Student Body] team. He takes advanced classes and is dedicated to his schoolwork.”
The state leadership conference was held April 7-9 and hosted more than 1,350 students from more than 70 schools across the state. It’s the premier event for Oregon’s FBLA members, teachers, alumni and business supporters, who come together for training, competition and entertainment.
It was the first time in two years that the event had been held in person after transitioning to a virtual event due to the pandemic. Boustead said her team’s flexibility and willingness to try new things impressed her this year.
“I have only one senior who had competed in an in-personal FBLA conference in the past,” she said. “All of our other members have only competed in online FBLA events for the past two years. This was their first time in front of an in-person judge.
“Some students were in events they had never competed in before, but they rose to the challenge and I’m so proud of them!”
The high school brought 18 students to the state conference, and many of them impressed in their respective events. Sansone took first place in business communication and shared fourth place with T.J. Jeffery and Bree Marino in the business ethics category. Jeffery also finished third in supply chain management.
Photos courtesy Tonya Boustead:
Isa Arredondo and Kacey Janzen shared first place with their intro to business presentation, and Janzen and Arredondo placed third and fifth in intro to business procedures, respectively.
Rounding out the first-place performances for Canby, McKenna Kraft and Sydney Matlock won in sports and entertainment management.
Gabbie Schloe took second in client services as well as hospitality management, while Embry Johnson placed second in supply chain management and seventh in marketing along with Ainsley Lemuz and Tyler Janzen. Lemuz also took home a fifth-place finish in health care administration.
Kya Smith and Nimsi Gomez took third in business ethics, and Smith added a 10th-place finish in political science. Maddox Oliver, Ryan Petterson and John Vandecouevering shared fourth in sports and entertainment management.
Hunter and Hayden Jeffery shared a fifth-place finish in intro to event planning, and came in seventh and eighth, respectively, in intro to business procedures.
The top performers will be invited to the National Leadership Conference held at the end of June and early July in Chicago.
Sansone has big ambitions for his presidency next year.
“With in-person conferences and events returning, I know there is potential for a great year with increased membership and enthusiasm,” he said. “I hope to capitalize on that by establishing regular communication with local chapters and implementing exciting activities and events.”
