FBLA winners bring honor to Fife

Photos courtesy of Laura Hilzendeger

Fife High School (FHS) was recognized with top honors at the national leadership conference of Future Business Leaders of America – Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA) in Anaheim June 25-28. Attracting more than 7,800 future business leaders, the student participants traveled from across the country to compete in nearly 60 different events representing a wide range of activities and business/leadership development. Four students represented FHS, taking home awards in every category in which they competed. All of them were applauded at the Awards of Excellence ceremony.

“I’m very, very proud of all of them,” said their teacher and FBLA advisor Laura Hilzendeger.

Jessica Colburn competed in “Who’s Who” and received national recognition for the outstanding leadership she brought through the years to FBLA at local, state and national levels. Colburn graduated from Fife High this year, and said she is looking forward to starting classes at University of Portland, where she will study nursing.   

Tierney Kuhn brought home first place in the “Advertising” open event, one of seven open events in which all attending students could participate. Kuhn, who just finished her senior year at FHS and also earned an associate arts degree from Highline Community College as well, amazed FHS staff and students earlier this year when it was announced that this graduating senior won a full-ride scholarship to Princeton University.

Leah Powell competed in “Client Service,” for which she was tasked with working out a complex posed situation in corporate customer relations. She won seventh place. At the Washington State FBLA Conference in Spokane last April, Powell took first place in this competition.

Stepping down as Washington State FBLA President, JunHo Lee had the opportunity to give a farewell statement upon the closure of his term at the state FBLA conference this past April. For the nationals in Anaheim, with his state officer team he wrote and coordinated the “State Chapter Annual Business Report” for Washington and brought home sixth place, the highest ranking ever achieved for the high school in this category. He now moves on to Georgetown University to study business.

Hilzendeger said she is sad to say goodbye to these four outstanding young people as they depart to further their education at college. “It’s like the end of an era,” she said. “We were blessed.”

‘Stuff the Bus 5K’

With classes at FHS starting again soon and FBLA events to plan for in the coming year, there is work to be done. For the 2009-2010 school year, Fife’s FBLA team has set a goal to get more involved in the Fife/Milton community by organizing local events that will help guide the students into leadership roles.

Working toward this goal, Fife’s FBLA team will partner with the city of Fife for Stuff the Bus 5K to be held the morning of the Fife Harvest Festival on Oct. 3. A benefit for the Fife Food Bank, all participant registration fees for the five-kilometer fun run and walk will be given to the food bank. In addition, the Fife School District has provided a bus, which will be stuffed with collected food, then driven in the city of Fife parade with local students leading the way to the Harvest Festival for presentation to the food bank.

The students are currently seeking Fife/Milton businesses and groups interested in sponsoring Stuff the Bus 5K. There are four sponsorship levels (platinum, gold, silver and bronze) and all monetary donations are tax deductible. Revenue raised through sponsorships will go toward Stuff the Bus 5K expenses and to help Fife FBLA members attend the state conference in April. The students are also looking for businesses that would be willing to set up

booths at the event or who would like to donate door prizes and items for run/walk participant goodie bags.

For more information, contact Hilzendeger at or Christiann Thomas (also the students’ FBLA advisor) at .

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