Students and staff from both Molalla High School and Molalla River Middle School are excited to be preparing for this year’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Conference, set to be held from June 27 through July 3 in Anaheim, California.
To raise the thousands of dollars needed to pay for the registration, accommodation, and travel costs involved, everyone involved is getting creative in their fundraising. Most notably, middle school FBLA members will be organizing and hosting a classic car show at the middle school starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 24, and running through the afternoon.
In addition to the cars, which will be judged in a range of categories, there will be another contest that is sure to tempt everyone in town: a cook-off that will determine which restaurant, food cart or other establishment has the very best hamburger in the greater Molalla area. For just $20 you will be able to sample sliders grilled up by a dozen or more businesses, with the proceeds going toward the students’ registration and travel expenses.
Inspiration for the car show came from a very personal place for Molalla River Middle School teacher and FBLA faculty advisor Sandy Marson. Her father, who instilled in her a love of cars from an early age and purchased a brand new 1967 Buick Riviera that Marson still owns, passed away last fall.
“So, in honor of him, I was like, you know what? It’s time to have a car show,” Marson said. “And as staff members we’re always trying to come up with ideas for creating better community engagement, as well as new and improved reflections of how people see the school.”
The car show will be staffed by FBLA students as well as a range of volunteers. Those who wish to enter a car in the show can purchase an advance ticket for $25, or pay $30 the day of the event.
FBLA National Leadership Conferences take place each summer. Students compete in various academic competitions - there are dozens of categories ranging from finance and advertising to business ethics and law, entrepreneurship and risk management - after advancing from their respective state finals. Winners receive recognition and cash awards during the Awards of Excellence ceremony. The conference also includes leadership workshops and a wide range of exhibits. Participants even get to visit Universal Studios and attend an Anaheim Angels baseball game.
Five Molalla River Middle School students - 8th graders Brian Mills and Cayson Koberstein, 7th graders Alexander Bovey and Courtney Brush, and 6th grader Rylan Cooper - earned a trip to nationals following the state competition in Portland earlier this spring. Three Molalla High School students - Owen Ritter, Nick Sano and Isaac Adams - will also be making the trek to Southern California to represent their school, along with MHS faculty advisor Jeremy Joseph, the high school’s first year business teacher.
“It’s a great experience for them and they learn a lot from it,” Joseph said. “There will be kids from all around the country at nationals, so they’ll be able to create relationships there, attend workshops and learn more about business. A lot of the kids really like the competition side of it and competing in non-traditional events that are not necessarily athletics.”
Instead of hosting one-off events, the high school FBLA students have instead been raising money for the program and its events since the beginning of the school year by running a student coffee shop. The coffee shop is open during the school’s two lunch periods, with staffing split into two shifts. Students are responsible for stocking, inventory, finances, customer service, and every other aspect of running the shop as a legitimate business. So in addition to raising money, it serves as the backbone of not only the FBLA club, but an elective business class over which Joseph presides.
“I started to see an opportunity to really teach the kids some business fundamentals,” Joseph said. “So, for the second semester this year we converted the coffee shop into a class. It’s not just for the FBLA kids, it's for anyone who signs up for the class. We call it Business Leadership and we teach them how to run a small business.”
Joseph’s students will also be hosting a fundraising car wash at the Molalla Les Schwab from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. In addition, they are also collecting cans for deposit money and performing yard work and other odd jobs to help the cause.
The students involved are looking forward to a unique experience and are eager to recruit their friends into joining the club for the next school year.
“The farthest away from home I’ve ever gone is Salem, and I’ve never been on a plane, either,” said 6th grader Rylan Cooper. “I’m excited. Yes I really would encourage other kids to get involved. My friends ask me about it a lot and I tell them that they get to hang out with friends, make new friends and learn about all of these new opportunities.”
