Polk County Public Schools
A team of Polk County students finished in first place in the high school division of the “Battle of the Districts” quiz bowl competition held at the 2008 state Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Fall Leadership Conference held in Tampa. The Polk County group defeated all other high school teams and came in second place in the overall competition, finishing only behind a college team from Miami. FBLA is a business education program in secondary and higher education to help students develop vocational and career competencies. Quiz bowl questions are related to FBLA history and practices and business education.
The team was composed of students from Bartow High and Bartow’s Gause Academy. From Bartow High were T.J. Konkol-Bennett and Bianca Mulaney. From Gause Academy were Samantha Harper, Maria Maldonado and Cassie Morris.
Gause Academy’s middle and high schools in Bartow, Bartow High and Bartow’s Union Academy were multiple winners in the school district’s 2008 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Fall Rally held in Winter Haven’s Cypress Gardens. Schools competed in a FBLA-related quiz bowl and in graphic arts contests designing scrapbooks, nametags and posters. FBLA is a business education program in secondary and higher education to help students develop vocational and career competencies.
Bartow High won first place in a “Battle of the Chapters” quiz bowl and for nametag design. Gause’s middle school chapter won first place in both nametag and poster design. Gause’s high school chapter also won first place for both nametag and poster design. Union Academy won first place for both the scrapbook and nametag competition.
Other schools winning an award at the fall rally were Auburndale High, Lake Region High (Eagle Lake), Lake Gibson High (Lakeland), Lakeland Highlands Middle, Lawton Chiles Middle (Lakeland), Southwest Middle (Lakeland), Ridge Community High (Davenport) and Westwood Middle (Winter Haven).
