Community Corner
CHSD170 Students Excel at the BPA Illinois Leadership Conference
The students earned recognition for their expertise in areas considered essential to a successful business environment
A group of ten students from Chicago Heights School District 170's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Academy and other district schools earned recognition for their outstanding performances during the Business Professionals of America (BPA) Illinois Leadership Conference that was conducted recently in Oak Brook.
The BPA is a career and technical student organization that aims to develop leadership, academic, and technological skills in the workplace. It is a voluntary, after-school activity, coordinated by Nick Pezzuto, Director of the STEM Academy and Mark Pesavento. The endeavor centers on 15 areas of concentration focusing on individual activities crucial to success in the business world.
The students from CHSD170 competed in multiple competitive events, with several claiming medals in their respective competitions and securing a place at the upcoming BPA National Leadership Conference in Dallas next May.
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Students who competed in Oak Brook and earned the right to participate at the BPA National Leadership Conference (with their event noted) are:
Video Production Team:
Leah Villareal, Maria Rivera, and Evangeline Figaro
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Prepared Speech:
Caleb Avila
Business Math Concepts:
Carlos Acosta
D'Aysia James
Fantazia Torres-Cain
Milagros Martinez
Other CHSD170 STEM Academy students Paula Ortiz and Osny Herrera also competed at the BPA Illinois Leadership Conference in the area of Business Math Concepts.
"We congratulate our students on achieving such high honors and on being outstanding representatives of School District 170 in such a series of highly competitive events," Pezzuto said.
"To compete and excel against middle schools from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and other suburban school districts certainly is deserving of recognition."
The students in the photo accompanying this article are: Left to right, Back row: Milagros Martinez, Carlos Acosta, D'Aysia James, Paula Ortiz, Leah Villareal, Maria Rivera; Front row: Osny Herrera, Fantazia Torres-Cain, Evangeline Figaro.
