Wrenshall News: It's real-life skills for students

Almost every aspect of life has been upended by the global pandemic we continue to find ourselves in. Organizations have learned to find creative solutions to new challenges, including Business Professionals of America, a competitive organization that allows middle- through post-secondary students to compete in business, marketing, and technology events at regional, state, and national levels.

Wrenshall High School has had a BPA team for the past several years. Started by Kelly Bonitz, now at Barnum High School, I now have the privilege of leading the group.

BPA teams have become smaller in recent years but the hard work, dedication, and competitive spirit of the student members has not changed. This year Jenna Johnson, Jordyn Harvey, Pidge Eckdahl, Alexis Swanson, and Jack Riley competed in a virtual system developed by the state BPA organization and run by the regional chapter advisors, which includes Barnum, Aitkin, Hill City, Grand Rapids, and Wrenshall. Students competed in events such as interview skills, prepared speech, and economic research.

Ninth-grader Jack Riley wanted to try out BPA this year to see if he liked it and found that "it takes a lot of work to get a good project," he said.

Junior Pidge Eckdahl said, "I joined BPA because as I come to the end of my high school career, I don't want to feel like I missed out on anything. I've been wanting to try BPA for a few years now and this year just seemed to work best for me."

All of Wrenshall's BPA students chose to compete in events that required time and commitment. Ninth-grader Alexis Swanson had to research, write, and deliver a seven-minute speech. In a normal year, she would have presented live to a panel of judges. This year, the speech and presentation were submitted to an online system to be graded by a region advisor.

I like the pomp and circumstance that takes place in a normal year, but students are still able to hone their skills in research, speaking, writing, and interviewing, which is why I love BPA so much. Students are learning important skills with real-world applications.