Payson Roundup | Payson, AZ

Rim Country Middle School and Payson High School are growing the country's future business leaders.

"This is our best year, we've never taken so many places," said Future Business Leaders of America club president and PHS senior, Chelsea Schmidt.

Schmidt has attended several regional competitions.

She and team member Rebekah Sandoval are working on a multi-media project for the State event. They hope to win with their four-minute presentation with video on identity theft, and go on to Nationals.

Schmidt joined FBLA in her sophomore year and skipped the competition. Her mother put her on the bus for the second competition.

"I took a first and a third at those regionals," she said. "I'm hooked."

Last year PHS took five students. This year 19 students went and they sponsored eight RCMS students.

"The majority of the 19 are in Mr. Pauley's computer tech classes versus the business classes," said Richard Meyer, PHS business teacher.

At RCMS the club focuses on careers said career and technical education teacher Melba Field.

NAVIT (Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology) covers most of the expenses, with one dinner meal covered by Credit for Kids money.

"Learning how to behave properly in public is a good skill for business people and students to understand," Meyer said. Pauley and Field monitored their behavior.

Students can choose up to six areas to compete in at the state level March 20 through 22 in Flagstaff.

At the Northern FBLA Regionals in February high school students won:

Accounting 1

1st: Chelsea Schmidt

Business Calculations

1st: Darryl DeWeese

5th: Brandon Speaks

Economics:

2nd: Chelsea Schmidt

Networking Concepts:

1st: Dustin Ammann

2nd: Brendan Van Zile

3rd: Patrick Karlowski

4th: Daniel Taft

Technology Concepts:

2nd: Dustin Ammann

4th: Darryl DeWeese

5th: Alicia Durnin

Middle School winners

Principles and Procedures (Middle Level)

1st: Harmony Walker

Principles and Procedures (9th & 10th Level)

3rd:Robert Schmidt

Proofreading and Editing (Middle Level)

1st: Elizabeth Luna

2nd: Audrie Bott

Business Math (Middle Level)

1st: Audrie Bott

2nd: Elizabeth Luna