The 2024 Montana BPA State Leadership Conference was held in Billings on March 12-15. One thousand three hundred and thirty five students and local chapter advisors from the middle level and secondary level attended in a spirit of friendship and goodwill. BPA Montana Association assisted the members through participation in the areas of competitive events, leadership, community development and professionalism.
Students from 101 Montana schools demonstrated their knowledge in business and technological skills and abilities in 93 different competitive events from within the five core assessment areas of Finance, Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Digital Communication & Design, Management, Marketing & Communication and Health Administration. Seeley-Swan High School had three students participate and compete at State. Wesley Stevenson participated in computerized assessments. Hattie Batchelder placed third out of 28 competitors in the Individual Presentation event and James Hayhurst Benassi, in his first ever BPA year, placed seventh out of 22 competitors in the Entrepreneurship event.
Montana BPA was pleased to donate $10,000 to Special Olympics Montana as their state-wide philanthropic organization. Colstrip High School, Glasgow High School, Hellgate High School, Joliet High School and Laurel High School were recognized for their generous donations. BPA Montana also held a Special Olympics Event during the conference as an additional fundraising event.
Community members and Montana businesses also played a tremendous role in the success of the state conference by serving as judges for the competitive events and presenters of workshops. In addition, Montana BPA has received more than $30,000 in financial support and/or in-kind support from Montana business and education institutions as part of the corporate sponsor and education partnership program.
BPA Montana students will now have the opportunity to travel to Chicago, Illinois to compete in the 2024 BPA National Leadership Conference which will be held May 10-14. Business Professionals of America is the leading CTSO (Career Technical Student Organization) for students pursuing careers in business management, finance, office administration, information technology, health administration and other related career fields. Hattie Batchelder, a National BPA placer from last year in Podcast Production Team with Tru Good and Cora Stone - will be representing Seeley-Swan High School and Montana BPA as she heads to Chicago to compete in her Individual Presentation event.
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