Pioneer Technology Center’s (PTC) Business and Information Technology Education (BITE) program sent 14 students to the Business Professionals of America (BPA) Spring Leadership Conference March 11th and 12th . Students pictured on the front row, left to right are Kate Lawson, Newkirk; Melinnda McConnell, Ponca City; Ann Fisher, Kaw City; Maria Mancha, Ponca City; Rachel Rodriguez, Tonkawa; Trisha Morton, Newkirk; and Victoria Stockton, Ponca City. Students pictured on the back row, left to right are Spencer Knopp, Ponca City; Brandon Moore, Ponca City; Aaron Lewis, Tonkawa; EJ Strother, Newkirk; Matt Lockwood, Ponca City; Bryan Sharp, Tonkawa; Darwin Bell, Ponca City; and Jeremy Cochrane, Ponca City.
Fourteen students from Pioneer Technology Center were among the 4,000 CareerTech students who participated in the Business Professionals of America (BPA) State Leadership Conference held March 11th and 12th, 2008. The event was held over two days at OSU-Okmulgee and ORU Mabee Center.
BPA is one of seven CareerTech student organizations in Oklahoma with memberships totaling more than 100,000 high school and post-secondary students. Other student organizations and programs the CareerTech system supports include: HOSA, health occupations education; FFA, agricultural education; SkillsUSA-VICA, trade and industrial education; DECA, marketing education, and FCCLA, family careers and community leaders association.
Gina Hubbard, state BPA advisor, said students competed in 52 events including categories such as computer network technology, desktop publishing, advanced office systems, and PC servicing and troubleshooting as well as Microsoft Systems Administration and CISCO Systems Administration.
"Competing in these events is a great way for students to make practical use of the skills they learn in the classroom," she said.
The conference culminated in an awards ceremony at ORU Mabee Center. The following list of participating Pioneer Technology Center students placed in the following events: Microsoft Network Administration, Bryan Sharp, junior at Tonkawa, placed 2nd, and Matt Lockwood, junior at Ponca City High School, placed 3rd. Darwin Bell, an adult student, placed 1st in CISCO Systems Administration as well as 3rd in Computer Security. Spencer Knopp, and adult student, placed 4th is CISCO Systems Administration. Jeremy Cochrane, a senior at Ponca City High School placed 2nd, EJ Strother, a senior at Newkirk High School placed 3rd and Aaron Jones, a senior at Tonkawa High School, placed 4th in Cisco Systems Administration. Kate Lawson and Trisha Morton, both juniors at Newkirk High School placed 3rd in the Presentation Management Team event. Ann Fisher, an adult student from Kaw City, placed 2nd in Payroll Accounting. Victoria Stockton, an adult student from Ponca City, placed 3rd in Advanced Office Systems and Procedures. Melinnda Mc Connell, an adult student from Ponca City, placed in the top 10 for Database Management. Maria Mancha, an adult student from Ponca City, along with Melinnda McConnell, Ann Fisher, and Victoria Stockton, placed in the top 10 in the state for the Administrative Team Event. Rachel Rodriguez, a senior at Tonkawa High School, placed in the top 10 for Basic Office Systems and Procedures. Brandon Moore, an adult student from Ponca City, placed 2nd in Interview Skills. Advisors Whitney Edens and Carol Goff commented, "We were very proud of how these young men and women represented us at this year’s State Leadership Competition for BPA; both in their competitions as well as their general professionalism in the midst of 4,000 other student".
Ann Fisher, Victoria Stockton, Darwin Bell, EJ Strother, Brandon Moore, Jeremy Cochrane, Bryan Sharp, and Matt Lockwood, as well as advisors Whitney Edens and Carol Goff, and instructional director Dale Goodwin will be representing Pioneer Technology Center at the National Leadership Contest in Reno, Nevada in May. The awards assembly concluded with the installation of a new slate of officers for the 2008-09 school year.