Courtesy photo The Stephenson High School Business Professionals of America pose for a photo with the awards they won in Anaheim, Calif. recently.

STEPHENSON — The Stephenson High School Business Professionals of America chapter spent the last week of April in Anaheim, Calif., for the organization’s National Leadership Conference.

During the week, nine qualifying students competed in their respective events, participated in opening ceremonies, and attended the final awards. Students from all over the nation attended the conference, and this year the attendance was the highest it has ever been, reaching approximately 6,500 students, advisors, and chaperones. The theme this year for the conference was “Discover Your Purpose.” Accompanying the Stephenson students to Anaheim were the chapter advisors, Anita Casperson and Kelly Kim.

Of the nine attending students, seven were called on stage to receive awards. Lilyan Wagner placed second in her event, Advanced Word Processing. The Parliamentary Procedures team (team members Joelle Beaudo, Morgan Bergquist, Griffin Brown, Faith Cappaert, Olivia Cappaert, and Luke Olson) earned first place. In the Parliamentary Procedures open event, Faith Cappaert placed first, Joelle Beaudo placed second, and Olivia Cappaert earned third place. All six team members ranked in the top 11 out of 143 participating students. Alivia Johnson and Lilyan Wagner also earned Microsoft certifications during their competitive events.

All attending students studied and worked hard throughout the school year in order to compete at the national level.

In addition to attending the conference events, SHS students and advisors had a chance to tour several local attractions. This included watching an Angels major league baseball game, going on a whale and dolphin tour, and visiting Disneyland. The group also toured sights in and around Los Angeles such as Hollywood, the La Brea tar pits, Beverly Hills, and the Santa Monica Pier.

This trip to California was possible for these students thanks to the generous support of the community and local businesses through fundraisers and donations.