More than 8,500 of America’s best and brightest high school students traveled to the Chicago to attend the Step Up to the Challenge Conference. The conference showcased their talents as future business leaders and gave them the opportunity to win more than $175,000 in cash awards.

Future Business Leaders of America­Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA­PBL), held its FBLA National Leadership Conference in Chicago on June 29 to July 2nd . Participants from across the United States attended this exciting conference to enhance their business skills, expand their networks, and participate in more than 55 business and business-­related competitive events.

Bowdon High School received national recognition at the FBLA Awards of Excellence on July 2. For the third year, BHS FBLA was awarded the Hollis and Kitty Guy Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit. This prestigious award recognizes the top 15% of FBLA chapters nationwide.

The award was part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by FBLA­PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to the competitions, students immersed themselves in educational workshops, visited an information­packed exhibit hall, and attended motivational keynotes on a broad range of business topics.

About FBLA­PBL, Inc. Future Business Leaders of America­Phi Beta Lambda, Inc., the largest and oldest student business organization, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association with a quarter million members and advisers in over 6,500 active middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. The association is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. For more information, visit fbla­pbl.org.