John I. Leonard Community High School

DIRECTORY

Feature Story…………….1 (cont. 5)

Updated Officer Page ........ …....2

Fall Rally ........................... …....3

Competitions/Homecoming……4

Guest Speaker….....................5-7

General Meeting ............... .……8

Contact Information…………… ....9

How to Choose the Right Competition for You

Written by: Charles Drucker, President

Given that they are one of the most defining aspects of any FBLA experience, competitions are not something to be tak-en lightly. Rather, they are opportunities to grow both aca-demically and personally. Luckily, there are a number of resources available for members that will help narrow down the over 70 different competitions offered—all of which will be discussed at one point or another in this month’s newsletter.

From personal experience, one of the ways to eliminate many competitions from the list is by looking at the skills you already possess. In many cases, students make the mis-take of selecting a competition that they simply do not have a competitive advantage in (i.e. a tech-savvy, Computer academy student taking Business Law, instead of Coding & Programming or Website Design). For obvious reasons, this is one of the easiest ways to determine the best competition for an FBLA student, but can also be quite limiting since many students enjoy expanding their horizons by choosing a subject they do not have much background in. For in-stance, an individual who would like to improve their speaking abilities may choose Public Speaking or Broadcast Journalism as their competition.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)

JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL

October-November Volume 2, Issue 1

PAGE 1

2019-2020 JILHS FBLA Officer Team!

Ivebens Elaicin

Historian

Aaron Caceres

Reporter

Arianna Caceres

Vice President

Christy Nezifort

Secretary

Charles Drucker

President

JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL PAGE 2

FBLA Dress Policy

Males

Business suit with

collared dress shirt

and necktie; OR

Sport coat, dress

slacks, collared dress

shirt, and necktie

Dress slacks, col-

lared dress shirt,

necktie.

Belt, Dress shoes and

dress socks required.

Females

Business suit OR

Business pantsuit

(must include dress

pants and dress jack-

et); OR

Business dress OR

Skirt with blouse or

sweater.

Closed toe and

closed heel business

dress shoes.

Skirts and Dresses

must reach the knee

Fall Rally The District 20 Fall Leadership Conference is Friday, No-

vember 1st, 2019 at the Palm Beach Convention Center .

This Conference consists of all the chapter in Palm Beach

County, and is an event that district members look forward

to each year. Members will experience a business confer-

ence first hand, hear a keynote speaker, attend business

workshops, participate in competitions–such as the Battle

Of the Chapters–and enjoy a nice banquet-style lunch.

In addition to a one-time payment, members MUST dress in

professional business attire. Transportation will be provid-

ed for as long as the member reports to John I. Leonard at

8:00 AM for a prompt departure. Students should arrive

back to John I. Leonard campus by 2:30PM and are to head

back to class. The 2019 Fall Leadership Conference theme

is “Level Up “, using this we will create a poster, T-shirt,

and flyer. If you would like to assist in the process and earn

community service hours then come to our committee

meetings!

JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL PAGE 3

Types of Competitions

3-D Animation

Accounting

Advertising

Banking and Financial Systems

Broadcast Journalism

Business Law

Client Service

Coding & Programming

Digital Video Production

Economics

Entrepreneurship

Graphic Design

Health Care Administra-tion

Hospitality Management

Impromptu Speaking

Insurance & Risk Man-agement

Job Interview

Journalism

Marketing

Personal Finance

Securities & Investments

Social Media Campaign

Sports & Entertainment Management

Website Design

Competitions

Homecoming is a time to show our school and club spirit,

the theme for 2019 is “Travel. Similar to past years we will

decorate two doors and create a banner for the Homecom-

ing Parade.

Our Homecoming Committee starts October 1st. and will be

our very first committee of the year,. The Homecoming pa-

rade is during school, but only those who helped out during

the Committee meetings are allowed to walk at the parade.

One of the many benefits

FBLA offers is the opportuni-

ty to compete in various cate-

gories. Members are required

to participate in a competi-

tion. There are three levels a

member can advance to: Dis-

trict, State, and Nationals.

During the States Competi-

tion, members will spend

three days enjoying the beau-

ty of Orlando, while getting to

meet with other Chapters

across Florida.

Though the word competition

may seem daunting, what it

represents is a chance for

members to grow or develop

a skill. Whereas other compe-

titions have no real applica-

tion to life and the workforce,

FBLA makes sure that the are

valuable skills or areas that

people should know. There

are competitions ranging

from computing , medical and

to business. The type of com-

petitions are Individual test,

group test, pre-judged, and

group or individual perfor-

mances. This wide variety of

competitions allows students

to find something that most

matches their personality

There is something for every-

one, and we would be beyond

glad to help you pick one.

In addition to group competi-

tions , there are also competi-

tions for Chapters. We will be

competing in the Local Chap-

ter Annual Business Report.

This will be primarily done by

the officer team.

If you would like to know any

more information about the

competitions then please con-

tact us through or social me-

dia or visit the FBLA website

at https://www.fbla-pbl.org/

fbla/competitive-events/.

Homecoming

JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL PAGE 4

JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL PAGE 5

How to Choose the Right Competition for You

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)

This brings me to my second piece of advice: you may decide to choose a competition that you either have a genuine passion in or one that serves as a challenge to improve some skills you may be lacking. For example, if a business student wants to be an exec-utive of a pharmaceutical company or hospital chain someday, they decide to compete in Health Care Administration. One of the ways you can determine the right competi-tion in this manner is by asking the question(s): “What hobbies or interests have I de-veloped over the last few months?” or “What are some areas in either my personal or academic life that I want to enhance?”. Both these questions will surely help in the deci-sion-making and elimination process.

Lastly, if all else fails, ask an officer or advisor! We are always willing to put forth the time to help decide the right competition for you, especially since it means providing the optimal experience for you as a member. And who knows? You may qualify to com-pete in this year’s FBLA National Leadership Conference (NLC) held in Salt Lake City, UT!

For a more complete list of competitions, visit the FBLA website at https://www.fbla-pbl.org/fbla/competitive-events/ and bring any questions you have at the next general meeting in the Media Center on October 21st!

Guest Speakers (October)

For the month of October and our general meeting on the 21st, we are quite lucky to have not one, but two guest speakers from the City of Greenacres. Mr. Jose Reyes and Mr. Benjamin Dexter will each be speaking about their experiences in both the profes-sional and personal sense, as well as intertwining how their pasts have shaped what they do today. For additional details on our two guest speakers, see the next two pages (Page 6 and Page 7) for their biographies.

If you have any individual(s) that would want to be one of our guest speakers in future meetings and have an interesting story to tell. please do not hesitate to inform us! We look forward to having a variety of persons, representing a number of different indus-tries, to provide the best experiences for you all as members. In addition, in the event that you successfully recruit a sponsor, feel free to mention this opportunity as we highly encourage our professional members to take active roles in JILHS-FBLA!

Over the last seven years, Jose Reyes has amassed

a plethora of military, entrepreneurial, and youth

development experience. After graduating from

Forest Hill Community High School in 2012, he en-

listed in the United States Army as a military police

officer. Upon arriving, Mr. Reyes was eager to un-

dertake increased responsibility in the armed forc-

es after being assigned to the 21st Military Police

Company (airborne). For those unfamiliar with

military nomenclature, being part of an airborne

unit (ABN) meant that Mr. Reyes (along with near-

ly 150 other soldiers) was trained to be deployed

by air into both active combat or non-combat situ-

ations. Over the course of five years, he successful-

ly completed over 60 parachute jumps, became an

assistant patrol supervisor, and was responsible

for overseeing the activities of seven other sol-

diers.

Due to a combination of both physical fitness and

academic ability, Mr. Reyes was then selected to

work with the U.S. Special Operations Command

(SOCOM) as a Public Affairs Noncommissioned Of-

ficer (NCO). During his time as an NCO, he was

tasked with creating multimedia products to serve

as the basis for budgeting proposals, advertise-

ments, and training/mission documentation.

Following a long, internal passion to contribute

towards his community, Mr. Reyes then shifted his

efforts to becoming a mentor and teacher for the

youth. For the last 14 months, he has worked as a

Youth Development Leader for the City of

Greenacres. When he is not spending time as a

counselor at the Greenacres CARES program or

acting as a Drill Sergeant for new army enlistees,

he channels his creativity as a sole proprietor of an

online-based small business, specializing in com-

munications consulting, marketing, photography,

and videography.

Jose Reyes

PAGE JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL

Following a

long, internal

passion to

contribute to-

wards his

community,

Mr. Reyes

[then] became

a mentor and

teacher for

the youth.

Benjamin Dexter and his extensive career in public

service is marked by numerous accomplishments,

opportunity, and success. Currently, he is the As-

sistant Youth Program Supervisor at the City of

Greenacres and has been employed in this capacity

for nearly three years.

He first began working in government as a Child

Care Assistant, and over a period of several years,

worked his way to being a Youth Development

Specialist---utilizing his degree in youth develop-

ment from Palm Beach State College. According to

Mr. Dexter, “The process has been full of benefits

and plenty of growth.” Before he entered into the

public sector, Mr. Dexter volunteered for a number

of non-profit organizations, including Big Brothers

Big Sisters of New York and the Boys and Girls

Club, where he mentored hundreds of under-

privileged youth of all ages throughout Albany, as

well as Palm Beach County.

In the future, Mr. Dexter plans to begin working on

a business that benefits the youth and promotes

life skills. Incorporating his passion for the culi-

nary arts, he aims to provide opportunity to future

chefs, leaders, and entrepreneurs. Following his

long-standing principles of being a servant to the

local community, he hopes in this ever-evolving

world that we do not lose idea of integrity, respon-

sibility, and respect. During his free time, he enjoys

crossfit, playing football, and expanding his per-

spective through reading and meeting new people.

Benjamin Dexter

JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOL PAGE 7

“The process

[of working

with the city]

has been full

of benefits

and plenty of

growth.”