Story and photos courtesy of TCS Communications Specialist, Zach Birdsong
TULLAHOMA CITY Schools had 44 students qualify for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference, and 47 students in total received awards based on their performances at the state conference earlier this month.
“I honestly think this is probably the largest number of combined students that we have had qualify for nationals,” said Frankin Cammack, the WMS FBLA Adviser and Co-THS Adviser. “I love seeing how much the FBLA organization in Tullahoma has grown. Some of the juniors and seniors this year started with me at West Middle School, and went to Chicago when we had five winners at nationals in 2022. Now we are starting to see the payoff of what a strong middle school chapter can do at the high school level.”
Tullahoma High School saw 25 students earn their national spots at the Tennessee Leadership Conference in Chattanooga on April 9. West Middle School had 19 individuals secure their spots at nationals, with 10 students taking first place in 11 events. To qualify for nationals, students needed to place in the top four of their events at the state leadership conference. This year’s FBLA National Leadership Conference will take place in San Antonio, Texas, from June 29 to July 2.
“I am extremely proud of these students for their accomplishments and, more importantly, the young people that they are,” said THS FBLA Co-Adviser Will Hyden. “They all have a bright future ahead of them, and hopefully, they will carry these positive experiences with them as they continue to grow and mature into Adulthood.”
TCS Director of Schools, Dr. Catherine Stephens, added her congratulations and said she is thrilled for each student.
“Our FBLA programs here at TCS continue to blow me away with their incredible performances. These results don’t happen overnight. Having 44 students qualify for nationals reflects the dedication of each student and their middle and high school advisers, Franklin Cammack and Will Hyden. I am extraordinarily proud of these students and how they represent Tullahoma, and I am excited to see how they fare at the National Leadership Conference.”
West Middle School’s Jayden Behrendorff and Analeigh Spain each took first place in two events. Spain finished first in Exploring FBLA, while Behrendorff won the Exploring Personal Finance competition. Spain and Behrendorff then teamed to capture the title in the Annual Chapter Activities Presentation.
Scarlett Neal also took first place in the Career Research Project. Joseph Halfacre placed first in Digital Citizenship. Mason Reed won the Exploring Business Communication competition. Mikah Cai finished first in Exploring Business Ethics. Gavin Good took first place in Exploring Parliamentary Procedure. Connor Germain placed first in Exploring Technology, while Juliette Raynal won the Slide Deck Applications competition and Addy Thames notched first in Word Processing.
Jayden Behrendorff and Addy Thames were also recognized for completing the LEAD Explore Award. This self-guided program provides a foundation for all things FBLA and helps students learn key leadership skills necessary for a successful future.
Charlotte Womack added a second-place finish for WMS in Exploring Public Speaking. Preston Wilkerson took second in Exploring Marketing Strategies. Claire Hyden and Jazmyn Taylor finished second in Exploring Digital Video Production. Alivia Harris placed second in Exploring Customer Service, while Kynlee Sholey took second in Career Exploration.
Amiyah Stovall finished in third place in Exploring Business Communication. Evelyn Todd placed third in Exploring Business Issues and Norah Butler took third in Exploring Leadership.
“For the second straight year, we had students become state champions in two separate events, with Jayden and Analeigh,” Cammack said. “I love seeing the success of all of our students. It shows that hard work really does pay off. Hopefully, the success at the state competition can springboard us back onto the stage at Nationals. Also, this is the first year we have allowed sixth-graders to compete. One became a state champion, and the other three all took 2nd in their events. The future is bright.”
At the high school level, Thomas Cunningham won the Future Business Leader competition. Brayton Arant brought home first in Introduction to Information Technology, while Thomas Anderson took first place in Personal Finance. Alexander Cook, Jossalyn Garcia, Joseph Thomasson, Lillian Villamar and Emma Wilson all teamed to win Parliamentary Procedure.
Edward Henry placed second in Banking and Financial Systems. Gavin Seabolt took second in Economics, while Wen Ni Lin finished second in Introduction to Business Communication. Trenton Clark and Micciah McKill teamed to take second in Website Design.
Abdi Regaa nabbed third place in Introduction to Retail and Merchandising. Natalie Davis and Georgia Quick teamed to take third in Broadcast Journalism. The team of Rebecca Estrada, Claire Patton and Brooke Womer placed third in Introduction to Social Media Strategy. Thomas Cunningham and Jossalyn Garcia also teamed to finish third in the Local Chapter Annual Business Report.
Lexi Brown placed fourth in Introduction to Business Communication, while Sophie Michaels took fourth in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure. Phineas Flowers and William McCall finished fourth in Computer Game and Simulation Programming. The team of Emily Bell and Anabelle Smith took fourth place in Marketing.
THS also had three students qualify as alternates for nationals. Jayson Mines and Kaden Peterson teamed to finish seventh in Business Presentation. Levi Jones placed eighth in Introduction to FBLA.
“I am thankful to our students and to Franklin Cammack for all of his hard work and the time, effort, and energy that he pours into our club members,” Hyden said. “To see 25 high school members qualify for nationals is pretty amazing. We are very excited to represent Tullahoma High School and the Tullahoma community at nationals this summer in San Antonio, TX. This event is really a great way for these students to experience people, places, and opportunities they might not get to receive if it were not for FBLA.
Tullahoma High School additionally had two students recognized, as Thomas Cunningham and Edward Henry were celebrated for completing the first three levels of the Business Achievement Awards (BAA). Cunningham has completed the highest level of the BAAs with his Capstone Project, in which he designed, completed, and reflected on a project that solves a real-world problem. Cunningham will now be able to present his project at the FBLA National Leadership Conference, with a chance to win $5,000. Henry was also elected to serve a second term on the Tennessee FBLA State Officer Team. He will serve as Secretary for the 2026-27 school year. The Tennessee FBLA Delegation also voted to allow
Henry to run for a national office position while at the FBLA National Leadership Conference this summer.
“I always look forward to nationals because it gives our students the opportunity to compete against some of the best competitors in the country,” Cammack said. “This year also marks a first for my FBLA career, as Edward will run for a national office position. I honestly don’t know who is more nervous about it, me or him. This will definitely be a different National Leadership Conference experience, but I am excited to get to San Antonio.”
While both Cammack and Hyden are looking forward to the National FBLA Leadership Conference, they both wanted to pause and thank those who supported both TCS FBLA organizations.
“I am thankful for our CTE director, Jessie Kinsey, and Principals Greg English and Cindy Herrera for their support within the school,” Hyden said. “I also want to thank TCS Director of Schools Dr. Catherine\ Stephens and the Tullahoma School Board members for their continued support of Career and Technical Student Organizations. Last but certainly not least, I am thankful for these students, their parents, and their families. It takes an entire community for this type of success to happen.” GN
