DECEMBER 2009 | INLAND SECTION VOL 2
President’s Cor ner Hello Inland Section FBLA! As we reach the midpoint of this amazing FBLA year, I would like to thank all the chapters who are doing a great job so far. The state officers are reciprocating your work by launching a series of new guides, recruiting mentor adviser, and creating new channels of communication. Our efforts show: California membership is the best in the nation at this time, and attendance at LDI-South increased to almost 600. Keep up the good work, and renew your energy to finish the year strong. Apply to be a section officer to continue the legacy
Calendar Jan. 8—Section Officer Applications Deadline Feb. 9—Inland Section Conference Registration Deadline Feb. 10—FBLA Adviser Appreciation Day Feb. 27—Inland Section Conference @ Santiago High School, Corona
of Inland Section excellence, and to have fun. Utilize your free time to prepare for Section competition, which is coming up around the corner. E-mail me for any question. And finally, enjoy your time in FBLA. Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Year! Linxi
Wu,
Ayala High School members take a picture before movie day
President
Centennial High members volunteer at local elementary school
Chapter Highlights What have the other chapters of the Inland Section been up to? Found out! October 17, 2009: Centennial High FBLA members volunteered at a local elementary school’s annual harvest festival. Members helped set up, clean up, and run booths. A booth was also set up to raise awareness of FBLA and for the March of Dimes campaign.
G i n ny Wu
November 11, 2009: Ayala High School's FBLA hosted an after school Movie Day with approximately fifty people in attendance. Members watched "An Inconvenient Truth," an informational documentary about global warming by Al Gore. This activity was done following guidelines given by CA FBLA's Goes Green State Project! Members enjoyed snacking on popcorn and drinking punch!
November 14, 2009: Los Osos FBLA members, along with the FBLA members from Rancho Cucamonga High School, participated in the Founder's Day Parade. They held balloons and walked through the parade. December 17, 2009: Letha Raney Intermediate hosted their first school cleanup for FBLA Goes Green State Project!
DECEMBER 2009
Competition Preparation - N i c o l e H wa n g Hey, Inland Section, as you know, our section conference is coming up, as well as our first competitive events of the year. The conference will be a great opportunity to network with members from all over the region, but equally important, it will give you a chance to show off your business skills and knowledge. If you have not already started preparing for the competitions, it's never too late to plan now. Here are a few easy tips to follow: Talk to your chapter adviser to choose an event that best fits your interest; reserve thirty minutes to an hour a day to study the test material and take the practice tests online; and make flash cards to aid your
memory, as some competitive events may ask questions that require memorization of technical terms. If you are preparing for a presentation, always remember to practice in front of not only mirrors, but also your family, friends and chapter members. The competition in February is fast approaching, so if you are aiming for the first place prize, start studying now, and ask around for assistance on special preparation tips and advices. Best of luck, Inland!
Running for Office - C h a n c e H a r ve y Running for office is a commitment to say the least, but it can also be one of the best experiences of your high school career. To become an Inland Section officer there are some conditions that must be met and you will be required to campaign for the office that you wish to hold. There are several positions of office that you may run for:
President Vice President of Programs VP of Communications/Tech. Secretary Historian Parliamentarian
There are many great opportunities to be had if you decide to run! It is a great opportunity to become more involved in FBLA. If you are one of those people who feel that you love FBLA and feel you want to go more in depth, then you should definitely consider running for an officer position. For more information about running for office or for deadlines, please feel free to visit our website: inlandfbla.org and cafbla.org
The Leadership Development Institute South was held on November 2122 at the beautiful Hyatt Regency in Irvine. At LDI, the section officers of the Inland, Gold Coast, and Southern section were responsible for creating and organizing different and innovative presentations to present to fellow FBLA members. There were a variety of different workshops ranging from Computer Design, Networking, Etiquette, Time Management, Rocket Arena, Public Speaking, and much more. When the workshops came to an end, LDI held many fun-filled night activities such as the March of Dimes Dance, Grand Prix Icebreakers, and Salsa Dancing Lessons! Also attending the event was a special guest speaker, Mr. Cary Trivanovich who performed his “Dance of Life”, a spectacular dramatic piece, at closing session.
- Catherine Dang LDI and OAT Day Recap This year, Inland Section Officer Training Day (OAT) was held at the University of Riverside. This year’s theme was “Fuel Your Future” We would like to thank the UCR PBL Officers by organizing our entertaining icebreakers. Our section officers organized general FBLA workshops to inform our new school officers more about FBLA. Our OAT Day was a success with fun ice breakers, informative workshops, an amazing lunch and tons of fun!
Sustainability within Chapters As a chapter, continuity is always essential. Your chapter might have seen its membership boom, its funds rise, and its projects completed; however, while this is indeed impressive, the sign of a particularly impressive chapter is its ability to stamp success onto the coming years. While you are working on making this year the best yet, keep in mind that one of your greatest responsibilities is preparing your chapter for success in the future. One of the most important aspects of chapter sustainment is the officer election process. Not only must you make sure that the right people are chosen for the officer position, you must also develop leadership skill in the coming officer team. Every chapter knows about the general election process –
potential officers sign up, they have an interview, they give a speech, all members vote, and the candidate with the most votes is elected as that officer for the coming year. However, this formula might not always be the best way to go. Consider these alterations to the formula: 1.
2.
Decide whether a process is actually necessary: will an interview process give valuable information regarding the candidate, and will this information be used in the selection process? Consider splitting up your election process of the officer positions: for example, you might want to appoint half of the positions through the interview, and publicly elect the other half.
3.
D av i d M a o
Consider allowing the adviser(s) to appoint officer positions: oftentimes, advisers will have valuable insight in how the chapter runs, and understand the skills needed in running a chapter more than the general members Once you decide your officer team, they need to be trained; of course, they do have leadership skills already (that’s why they were elected), but these skills need to be furthered. The summer break is a prime opportunity to develop leadership skills. Consider holding a chapter officer summit – a day of planning and activities to promote bonding within the team, responsibility, and leadership skills. You can also use this day to plan your POW form, and your year’s activities. Also, this year, OAT Day will be occurring before summer, rather than after, giving officers further incentive to start early.