USD 265 Goddard Public Schools -

Late in the school year, students traveled together to represent both Eisenhower High School (EHS) as well as Goddard High School (GHS) at the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference. From May 10-14th, 2024, a group of 27 students and four teachers from Goddard Public Schools attended the BPA conference in Chicago, Illinois. Students competed in specific fields from over 90 categories including finance, business, management, design, marketing, administration, and communication.  

To qualify for Nationals, students competed in February at State along with over 400 other students from all across Kansas. There were 42 EHS students that placed at State, and EHS also took 3rd overall, including 26 national qualifiers. There were five GHS students that placed at State, including four national qualifiers. Over the course of a few days, EHS and GHS students competed in Chicago with over 6,500 students from across the United States, China, and Canada. Students also have the chance to grow their leadership skills and expand their business knowledge and connections, learning from others across the country. BPA Nationals is also a chance for students to build their resume and display their skills to professionals which strengthens their ability to network.  

“Students are provided with a variety of opportunities to network with business professionals and other students from across the country. Students were also able to attend various tours, such as the history behind Soldier Field and the Museum of Illusions," explained Rachel Nally, one of the three EHS staff BPA sponsors. "BPA is an opportunity for students to be the best at something they might not have realized they could excel at. The EHS BPA chapter continues to be one of the largest in the state of Kansas.”

Many EHS students placed in the top 10 at Nationals for a variety of events. Kyle Hamor took 9th for Python Programming, Kiya Hill took 10th for Integrated Office Applications, Aaron Jordan took 5th for Computer Modeling, Zac Kallman took 10th in Fundamental Spreadsheet Applications, and Grace Kallman was the Runner-up in Microsoft Access 2019 Certiport exam and placed in the top 10 for three other events. EHS also had many students who placed in the top 20 competitors at Nationals. Owen Dent took 18th in Fundamentals of Accounting, Carolyn Henderson took 13th in the Administrative Support Concepts exam and in C++ Computer Programming, and Connor Hull took 19th in Payroll Accounting. 

“Being involved in any Career & Technical Education (CTE) student organization helps students develop skills in speaking, business acumen, and confidence. Students also get the opportunity to meet and network with other students like themselves,” shared Sharlo Rogers, GHS staff BPA sponsor. "Students get to take pride in their work and get the recognition they deserve for their skill sets."

Many GHS students placed in the top percentage at Nationals. Talyn Rhoten placed in the top 20 for C++ programming, James Alexander placed in the top 50 for Fundamentals of Desktop Publishing, and Dean Northcut placed in the top 1/3 of all students who took the Information Technology Concepts test and the Computer Programming Concepts test.

Congratulations to EHS and GHS BPA students for excelling at Nationals, and representing Goddard Public Schools with pride!