Lemont's Future Business Leaders Chapter Posts 8 First-Place Finishes at Regional Competition

Lemont High School’s chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) fared well at the Central Northern Area Conference regional, which was contested at Lincoln-Way East High School on January 17. Lemont won eight event titles, totaled 11 runner-up finishes, and placed competitors among the top three in 20 of 22 events in which it was entered. Lemont will compete at the 2015 Illinois FBLA State Leadership Conference in Springfield, Ill., on March 27-28.

Students in Lemont’s FBLA chapter were among more than 200 competitors representing 11 Chicago-area high schools at the Central Northern Area Conference regional, a one-day event that included business and leadership training workshops and seminars, in addition to the competitive events.

Lemont students placed first in four individual events and four team competitions. Seniors Radomir Fugiel and Will Totura triumphed in Battle of the Chapters; seniors John Bermele and Eric Whatley and junior Mike Prasauskas teamed to win in Emerging Business Issues; juniors Jaron Fay, Dan Peterson and junior Aldo Pizzoferrato won in Business Presentation; and juniors Jessica Devitt and Kennedy Pawell topped all competitors in Business Ethics.

Individual event winners included: seniors Katie Atherton (Computer Applications) and Santino Fortino (Accounting II); junior Spenser Bailey (Introduction to Information Technology); and freshman Adam Fugiel (Future Business Leader).

Among Lemont’s 11 event runner-up finishes, four were in team competition and seven came in individual events. Seniors Bansi Padalia and Emma O’Leary were second in Community Service Project; seniors Lauren May and Ariana Ziogas teamed for second in Entrepreneurship; seniors Zach Kelly and Jake Pack and junior Ace Matthews were the runner-up in Marketing; and juniors Julissa Nuñez and Kevin Troy placed second in Business Ethics.

Other second-place finishers included: seniors Roy DelaTorre (Accounting II), Connor Koehler (Sales Presentation) amd Shamoil Soni (Web Design & Development); juniors Ankit Joshi (Impromptu Speaking) and Natalia Kowalczyk (Social Media); and sophomores John Pender (Introduction to Business Communication) and Joe Theodore (Personal Finance).

The FBLA is the largest business career student organization in the world, and includes 215,000 students worldwide in its high school division. Illinois’ chapter of the FBLA may be found on the Web at www.fbla.gen.il.us. Lemont’s FBLA chapter is sponsored by teacher John Aspel.