30 TCS students qualify for FBLA National Leadership Conference

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Tullahoma City Schools had 30 students earn seats to the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference based on their performances at the state conference earlier this month.

West Middle School had 16 students qualify for nationals, including 10 who won state championships at the Tennessee FBLA Leadership Conference in Chattanooga on April 9. Tullahoma High School also had 12 students earn national spots based on their performances at state, including six state champions in two events. To qualify for nationals, students needed to place in the top four of their events at the state leadership conference.

Tullahoma High School previously had two students, Edward Henry and Jonah Rathjen Vallejos, qualify for the FBLA National Leadership Conference late last year. This year’s FBLA National Leadership Conference will take place in Anaheim, California, from June 29 to July 2.

“To have 30 students qualify for nationals, and 16 students win state championships in 12 separate events, just shows the strength of our FBLA programs,” said Frankin Cammack, the WMS FBLA Adviser and Co-THS Adviser. “The high school program put on a strong performance, and West Middle School FBLA just keeps impressing everyone. The WMS program here had more state champions than any middle school in the state.”

West Middle School eighth-grader Georgia Quick won state championships in two events, taking first place in the Annual Chapter Activities Presentation and in Learning Strategies. Analeigh Spain placed first in FBLA Mission and Pledge, while Jayden Behrendorff took the top spot in FBLA Concepts. Mason Reed earned first place in Exploring Technology, Juliette Raynal placed first in Exploring Computer Science and Joslynn Lidstrom finished first in Exploring Business Issues. Timothy Hanson took first place in Digital Citizenship, while Gavin Good earned the top spot in Business Etiquette. Asa McMellon and Elizabeth Throneberry also teamed to take first place in Exploring Business Ethics.

Levi Jones placed second in Financial Literacy for West Middle School, while Alisson Milhahn took second place in Exploring Public Speaking. Cooper Knight finished third in Exploring Leadership, Trenton Clark placed third in Exploring Economics, Makayla Gibb took third in Career Research, while Natalie Davis earned fourth place in Career Exploration.

At the high school level, Thomas Cunningham won the state championship Electronic Career Portfolio for Tullahoma High School. The Tullahoma High School Parliamentary Procedure Team also won the state championship, which was captained by Lillian Villamar and saw Chance Cox, Jossalyn Garcia, Joseph Tomasson and Emma Wilson all named state champions.

Chris Guo placed second for THS in Introduction to Financial Math, while Thomas Anderson added a second-place effort in Personal Finance. Katie Grace Nichols took third place in Introduction to Business Communication, while Wen Ni Lin finished third in Introduction to Financial Math. Hayden Good placed fourth in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, while Alexis Thompson finished fourth in Public Policy and Advocacy.

THS also had seven additional students place in events at the state leadership conference. Cambree Moyers finished fifth in both Broadcast Journalism and Community Service Project. Jessica Jones took sixth in Introduction to Event Planning, Ellie Simpson placed seventh in Job Interview and Sophie Michaels took seventh in Word Processing. Kelia Diaz finished eighth in Business Ethics, while Brianna Vigil placed eighth in Client Service and Gavin Seabolt took eighth in Economics.

“I am very proud of all our FBLA members who competed at the state leadership conference in Chattanooga,” said THS FBLA Co-Adviser Will Hyden. “I am extremely proud of this group of students and what they have accomplished. I want to especially thank Franklin Cammack, FBLA adviser at West and the Co-Adviser at THS, for all of his hard work and dedication in helping to ensure all of our students succeed.”

Sophomore Edward Henry was also named the Tennessee FBLA Webmaster, the first Tullahoma High School student to be named a State Officer in more than a decade. As a State Officer, Henry will represent Tennessee FBLA at events and meetings throughout the year. In his webmaster role, Henry will compile and maintain materials through electronic means throughout the year to be shown in a presentation at the 2026 Tennessee FBLA State Leadership Conference and manage the FBLA social media accounts.

“I have known Edward for four years now, and he has wanted to be a State Officer for three of them,” Cammack said. “It takes a special student to be named the state’s Webmaster. I am so excited that the Tennessee FBLA delegation has the same faith in him that I share.”

TCS Director of Schools, Dr. Catherine Stephens, added her congratulations and said she is thrilled for each student.

“Our FBLA programs are absolutely incredible,” Dr. Stephens said. “I am amazed at how incredibly dedicated these students are to FBLA, and I am consistently blown away by their success. I am also proud of the hard work of their advisers, Franklin Cammack and Will Hyden, who ensured these students were ready to compete at all levels. I am extraordinarily proud of these students, and I cannot wait to see how they fare at the National FBLA Leadership Conference this summer.”

To raise funds for travel expenses, the West FBLA Chapter will be hosting its fourth annual trivia night on May 9. Team sizes are requested to be between four and eight people. Tickets are $15 per player, and each ticket comes with a taco bar dinner. A silent auction will start the evening. Those interested in attending or donating to travel expenses can email Cammack at franklin.cammack@tcsedu.net.

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