Seguin High School BPA heads to Anaheim for National Conference

Students presented with accolades for leadership & community service

(Seguin) – Seguin High School Business Professionals of America students joined 6,500 students from across the US, plus China and Puerto Rico, for this year’s National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, CA, at the end of April.

Seguin students Brylynn Baker, Kyra Casey, Kyle Fiebig, Kayla Hernandez, Yvette Hernandez, Kimberly Martinez, and Danielle Nyame were recognized as Ambassadors. For their activities in community service and leadership, they received Ambassador Torch Awards. Anahi Marquez also earned her Ambassador award but did not attend.

Seguin High School teacher Diana Weber is the longest-running BPA advisor at SHS as well as the State Advisor for Texas. She was pleased by this year’s attendees and their commitment to the program.

“We were well represented at the conference with a great group of students. We were excited to have so many students recognized for their hard work and dedication and to be spotlighted with the Quality Chapter Award. We look forward to their continued success and watching them grow,” said Weber.

Seguin High School students were also recognized with the Quality Chapter Award, having volunteered at the conference and serving as Texas voting delegates at the state caucus. Serving as Area 3, Region 3 President was Kyle Fiebig, who worked with the Texas Leadership Team during the conference. Fiebig and Kim Martinez were recognized for completing the Student Certification Series as they learned about BPA and ways to serve, network, and advocate.

“Seeing our chapter thrive and succeed this past year has made me endlessly grateful and proud to call Seguin BPA my family. I am so proud of our members earning their Ambassador Torch Awards, Student Certifications, Quality Chapter Award, and everything else we earned throughout this year. We all had a blast at NLC 2023, and I had a great time representing Seguin BPA and Texas BPA. I have a tremendous honor to be Chapter President and seeing our chapter make it to Nationals has made me so thankful for every single member of BPA. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us next year,” Fiebig said.

While at the conference, Seguin BPA students competed in Open Events and had the opportunity to participate in the Days of Service Events representing SHS and their hometown on a national stage.

Leos says each of the menus has been carefully planned. She says the menu is a collection of foods that offer something new to local tastebuds.

“When we go out, I always order Brussel sprouts. Everywhere we go, I look for it. That’s my go to and my second go to for my dinner is always salmon. So, we knew we had to have salmon on the menu. My husband loves salads so he wanted a salad and so we have the Ramen (Crunch) salad. Also, one of our favorites is the Ahi Tuna. I love that too. We just wanted to bring different stuff that we (eat when we) eat out, bring it here to Seguin. So, that was where the menu started,” said Leos.

Bringing this restaurant’s unique vision together is Chef Haley Henry.

Leos says they are honored to have Henry, who has brought her talents to the table.

Among those talents is her ability to inspire each dish. Henry says two of those dishes include pasta and steak.

“One of my particular things that I put on the menu is actually the Rigatoni Pasta with Scarlett Sauce. The Scarlett Sauce is actually inspired by the movie Chef. I tweaked it a little bit, added some of my own stuff to it like the mushrooms and tomatoes but it’s a sauce that was inspired from that. And then steak in general – I love steak so that’s something that I really love on the menu,” said Henry.

The restaurant this past weekend also launched its new brunch menu. Henry says the menu also includes many of her favorite recipes.

“Definitely chicken and waffles. We are going to do a sausage and gravy benedict so it’s going to be like just the typical sausage and gravy but with a pouched egg on top and then another thing is an avocado toast sandwich. I really like that one. I made that at home one time, and it was just delicious, so it was something that I wanted to add to it,” said Henry.

Leos says not only did the food have to be good, but the overall atmosphere was also important to them as they transitioned away from the bar environment.

“Then coming in here trying to figure out how are we going to turn this into a restaurant? What are we going to do? How are we going to separate because we knew we still wanted the bar area because when we go out to eat, I always grab a cocktail or sometimes if the restaurant is busy, we will sit at the bar. I actually love sitting at the bar and having dinner. So, we knew we wanted that but just have it a little bit separate so my husband decided to build that half wall there and then we were talking about doing booths and I was like well can we do them where they are a little bit private and I literally came in two days later and Freddy had these things built up and I was like ‘wow!’ He had it done,” said Leos.

Leos says the most unique aspect of Lizzy B’s is that folks can choose between a more private, intimate setting or a more familyfriendly dining experience.

“You can’t really go anywhere and eat and then have your kids play outside –have an all-in-one type thing. So, we do so see a lot of families come in that are having dinner and then outside enjoying it with their children or even grabbing a cocktail and going outside. So, that’s nice to see. That’s what we are always aiming to be is a more family friendly environment,” said Leos.

With just over two weeks under its belt, the restaurant is already claiming fame for its delicious entrees and appetizers. Of course, things take a bit to adjust with any new restaurant. However, Leos says the opportunity to stop by The Backyard finally excites her most.

“People are loving that it is something new. It’s something different. A lot of people are saying that they didn’t even know about The Backyard and we’ve here a couple of years. So, for people to come in from Seguin who still hadn’t even heard about The Backyard now to come in to find a restaurant here, I mean, that’s nice,” said Leos.

Lizzie B’s at The Backyard is located at 225 N. Saunders St., Suite B. Hours are Wednesdays through Fridays from 11: 30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. followed by dinner from 4:30 to 9 p.m. and Sunday Brunch only from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.