The 2024-25 Clarke Central High School Future Business Leaders of America chapter leadership stands in the Freshman Academy Hallway on Aug. 15. FBLA President Adrian Rangel, a senior, found that the program helped him figure out post-secondary plans. “I wasn’t really sure about what I wanted to major in, (but I’m) more sure now , since I joined FBLA,” Rangel said. “It’s by far been the one that I’ve been most committed to, and the one I’ve led in the most.” Photo by Grady Dunston
CCHS’s FBLA chapter allows students to learn business-related skills and participate in numerous community service and competitive opportunities throughout the year.
Joining Clarke Central High School’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter is both an expectation for those in the business pathway at CCHS and an opportunity for any student to expand their business-related skills.
The chapter, which is made up of seven officers and nearly 200 members, participates in community service around Athens and competes at the national and state levels in addition to their monthly meetings.
“I have different levels of being a member, like attending competitions, or just coming to the meetings, or just saying you’re associated with FBLA,” Jaclyn Brown, FBLA adviser and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department chair, said. “We’re looking for people who want to compete (and who) want to be the best.”
“I’m just trying to push (students) to get out of their comfort zone and encourage them and motivate them that they can do it.”
— Jaclyn Brown,
FBLA adviser and CTAE department chair
Competitions take place in a range of business-related fields from public speaking to social media strategy. For Brown, leading her students is the key to success.
“Some of our students are kind of scared of (competing) so I always push our officers to do it,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to push (students) to get out of their comfort zone and encourage them and motivate them that they can do it.”
A broadcast video of Clarke Central High School Future Business Leaders of America adviser and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education teacher Jaclyn Brown talking about the process for choosing the leadership team for the chapter is shown. For Brown, getting to see her students and the program gain achievements in the state was a full circle moment. “I’m a second generation FBLA advisor. My mom won advisor of the year twice, and she won teacher of the year when she taught at (Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School),” Brown said. “She’s been retired about 10 years now. So here I am being my mom all over again, I got advisor of the year last year at the FBLA state competition.” Video by Lea D’Angelo
For FBLA president Adrian Rangel, a senior, the 2024-25 school year is a possibility to move beyond the awards the organization won last year, including Chapter of the Year Gold Status at the FBLA State Conference in March.
“I want us to increase our presence at the state, regional and even get ourselves on the map for the national level,” Rangel said. “I (also) want to expand the president’s role in communicating with other officers, delegating tasks and also being more involved in what other officers oversee.”
