Hey y’all! This is Jakob, Juan Carlos, Breanna, Kodi,
Reuben, Keirth, Erin, and Rebecca, your State Officer Team.
Welcome to a new year for Texas BPA!
The school year is just beginning and we are all preparing for our first chapter meetings. The Texas BPA officer team hit the ground running last March. We followed the road to NLC (nationals definitely knew when Texas had arrived), Officer Training Camp,
TCEC, and we are now writing to you from the September Planning
Meeting.
It’s our time to make our mark in BPA history. We encourage you to be active in your chapters, participating in any events that may take place. Remember, even though January seems like a long time from now, fall will speed by leading to RLCs before you know it.
Start practicing for your contests now, so we will see you in
Corpus Christi next March. We have a lot in store for you this year, so keep watching the Texas BPA webpage for updates.
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Howdy Y’all,
We hope you’re ready for an exciting year in Business Professionals of America. Not only is it a new year, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of BPA. To commemorate this great organization we have built, there are many special and fun activities planned for this State Leadership Conference. We know that each and every one of you will work hard and do your best in your competitive events. We have been building our leadership skills, and putting together innovative ideas to create an unforgettable experience.
This past summer we met as a team in New Braunfels, Texas for leadership camp, where we came together as a strong team that will represent the state of Texas in a positive light. We not only learned how to lead and serve the great Texas Association of BPA, but we broke a few records while we were at it. After getting to know the Regional Presidents, we can assure you that our officer team is filled with passionate individuals who are determined to give you a great Regional Conference.
Knowledge is power. Using the knowledge we gained at camp, we were able to promote BPA at the Texas Career Education Conference (TCEC). Dressed up as our favorite superheroes, we spoke with a variety of educators from across the state of Texas. Our presence made an impact at TCEC because we are sending New Chapter Information to 5-8 new schools each week. Welcome to BPA! We look forward to seeing many new faces at the State Leadership Conference in Corpus Christi.
We are currently writing to you from our September planning meeting at the official headquarters of SLC, the Omni Bayfront Hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas. We have developed our own interpretation of the national theme, “ This is Our Time” , and can’t wait for you to experience what we have in store for you. We have also finalized plans for both the Special Event and the Special Olympics event.
This is your time to showcase your skills and talents. Work hard, grow as business professionals, and get ready to make your mark in Business Professionals of America’s next 50 years of history. The entire officer team wishes you good luck and we can’t wait to see you in Corpus Christi.
Yours truly,
Your State Officer Team
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Since January, your Regional Presidents have been hard at work. They began their term assisting at the
State and National Leadership Conferences. Over the summer, they attended a Leadership Training Camp to prepare for the rest of their term. Be waiting to hear from them soon, as they have already begun planning their Fall Leadership Conference, which typically occur in October or November. And don’t forget to say hi to them at the Regional Leadership Conference in January. Also, the State Officers will be highlighting them throughout the year on the Texas BPA website. They are a great resource, and are there to make your BPA experience better!
Name
Avery Burke
-------------------------------
Yash Mehrotra
Rush Hoelscher
Kaye Hubert
Paulina Montez
Hector Nino, Jr.
Ryan Mason
Rachel Zgabay
Juanita Lozano
Kaylee Morren
Ashton Vara
Kyanna Spain
Kade Frauenberger
Victoria Quiroz
Ysenia Mendez
Ruby Guizar
Area/Region
1/1
1/2
1/3
2/1
2/2
2/3
2/4
3/1
3/2
3/3
4/1
4/2
4/3
5/1
5/2
5/3
5/4
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One of our leadership initiatives this year is to focus on improving the chain of communication throughout the state, from the Board of Directors to your officer team and all the way down to you guys, the members! We are introducing some new forms of communication that we will utilize throughout the year to push information down to you. Our goal is to make sure that every single member stays in the loop throughout the entire year.
We encourage you to sign up and participate in all of these different means of communication so that we can make this the best year yet. We have a lot of new things we are introducing this year, and we want to ensure that we keep you guys in the loop because you are the ones that make everything possible.
If you have suggestions for improving our communication chain, please feel free to contact us through Twitter or Facebook – just search Texas BPA. We welcome your feedback and look forward to an AMAZING year.
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Remind 101 – I’m sure almost everyone has had at least one teacher use this for their classes. We have decided to use Remind-101 this year to keep you informed of updates concerning FLC, competitions, Torch, and much more! We won’t spam you, so sign up now!
Sign-up instructions:
Text 81010 with your area’s code listed below!
Area 1: @texasbpa11
Area 2: @texasbpa22
Area 3: @texasbpa33
Area 4: @texasbpa44
Area 5: @texasbpa55
2.
Social Media – Our Student Board Representative, Shania Callaway, is in charge of social media. We will be working with her to keep you updated throughout the year using
Facebook and Twitter. Look for updates regarding FLC, competition, and much more! We have a lot planned for social media.
- Like: Business Professionals of America, Texas Association
- Follow: @texasbpa
3.
Video Updates – Last year’s State Officers and Regional Presidents posted a number of videos throughout the year in order to provide updates to all of you, covering topics from Torch
Awards, to BPA Cares, to officer elections. These videos are still available as a resource on the website and YouTube, and we will regularly post links to them on social media.
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4.
Increased RP communication – Each Regional President has been assigned a State
Officer contact, a system that we believe will increase communicative efficiency between the state and the local levels. We plan to send down information to our assigned Regional Presidents who will then release the information to local chapters and advisors through Remind-101 and email. We encourage you to get to know your Regional President; they represent you and will be assisting in planning your Fall and Regional Leadership Conferences.
5.
Email – We will be increasing email communication among the state officers and regional presidents which will follow down through our communication chain, meaning you will probably get some extra emails from your local advisors pertaining to information we have sent .
In the least, you should expect to receive more information than you did last year – and that is a good thing! We are here to help you succeed.
6.
Website – as previously noted, almost all that we do will be documented/posted on the
Texas BPA ( http://www.texasbpa.com/ ) website in some way or form. Make sure to visit the website frequently.
Below is our general chain of communication that we have established. This goes both ways. If you have any concerns or questions, the most efficient way to ensure they are resolved is to utilize this chain. This is for any general questions, however, please feel free to reach out to your
State and Regional Officers directly if you desire.
The Torch Award Program is every Business
Professionals of America student’s opportunity to go above and beyond for both BPA and their community. The Torch Award
Program allows for students to work for the improvement of their Chapter, Region, State, Nation, and themselves.
The nine torches in seven main categories include
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Leadership; Service; Cooperation; Knowledge; Friendship;
Love, Hope, Faith; and Patriotism. By completing and properly logging listed activities in each category, members earn points to be honored with the Executive, Diplomat, Statesman, or
Ambassador awards, and the pin that corresponds with each title stands as a testament to that member’s hard work and perseverance to give back to something greater.
We encourage all members to seek out opportunities to participate in your community through the Torch Awards Program. We look forward to seeing all Statesman Torch Awards
Recipients at this year’s State Leadership Conference during the Special Awards Ceremony, where each Statesman will receive a professional gift that they will be able to use in their personal and professional life. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the
Special Awards Ceremony at the State Leadership Conference! Be sure to log your points by the deadline! Look for more information to come in the next few months.
Executive (Local)
Diplomat (Regional)
10
30
Pin and certificate
Pin and certificate
Statesman (State) 50
Pin, certificate, and invitation to Torch Award Celebration
Pin, certificate, and invitation to Torch Award Celebration
Ambassador (National) 70
Another one of our main goals this year as an officer team is to increase participation in the
BPA Cares Program. BPA Cares allows chapters to participate in multitudes of activities together, and it is much easier to apply for them than people think. Many chapters do a lot of the activities that are required to be eligible for the awards, but are not aware of the program.
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The BPA Cares Program offers awards, as distributed at Nationals, for the following:
•
Community Service Award
•
BPA Marketing and Public
•
Special Olympics
•
Environmental Action/Awareness
•
Safety Awareness
•
BPA Merit Scholar
•
Relations
Chapter Activities Award of
•
Service Learning Individual Excellence
•
Member Recruiter
The program also offers Professional Awards for: Advisor of the Year, Emerging Advisor,
Emerging Professional, Hall of Fame, Outstanding Service, and Professional Cup awards.
While these awards are given out at the national level, we are offering the “Texas BPA
Chapter Cares Award”
for the 3 rd
year in a row. This award will be given out at the State
Leadership Conference to the chapter that submits the most BPA Cares Awards applications .
The goal of this award is to increase statewide participation in the program in an effort to increase statewide recognition at the National Leadership Conference. In past years Texas’ recognition for the BPA Cares Program at the National Level has been rather absent. We have had very little participation overall and this year, we are seeking to have an effect as big as
Texas.
We will be focusing on the BPA Cares program throughout the year, and more information will be provided through videos and social media. We will be highlighting various parts of the program throughout the year, so be on the lookout for that information.
Having the largest delegation in Business Professionals of America comes with a big responsibility, and we feel that having increased participation in the BPA Cares Program is something, we as a state, need to commit to.
We look forward to working with the whole state to make Texas BPA even better. Have a great year, and make sure to not only compete, but to participate in BPA Cares and Torch as well.
For more information on the BPA Cares Program, please visit the BPA website at www.bpa.org.
The Officer Team entered this year passionate and prepared to bring Texas BPA to the next level. As our delegation continues to excel, your experience with BPA will as well. Here are the major changes we are implementing this year.
We are confident this year’s Opening General Session will start off SLC with the biggest bang yet. We will also continue this year’s SLC with a new keynote speaker. We have reviewed several candidates, and are determined to bring you the best motivational experience possible.
Prepare yourselves for a fresh and effective perspective on your future.
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This year, we will continue to host a 2 nd
General Session including State/National Officer
Candidate speeches and any association business. The 2 nd
General Session is open to all members, however Voting Delegates have mandatory attendance. (As per usual, each chapter is to appoint two Voting Delegates, who will receive a badge upon arrival.)
BPA holds pride that our members are continually striving to better themselves through events like the Torch Ceremony. As such a momentous event, we’d like to honor all recipients with a ceremony up to scale with their achievements. Continuing with last year’s approach, this year’s ceremony will again be open to the public. That means your parents, friends, and advisors can all celebrate with you! Award recipients will go home with their own professional gift that will really reflect the prestige of this award.
You don’t have to wait until SLC for all this fun! Find a Fall Leadership Conference near you. FLCs provide an opportunity to get to know your nearby officers, your fellow competitors and learn more about BPA. See this as a chance to bond with your chapter and submerge yourself with progressive students just like you. Be sure to check www.texasbpa.com
as to what date your FLC is on.
This year, the State Officer Team has decided to do Links-of-
Love as the Special Olympics project. This program starts at the local level where your local chapter officers will be selling links to a paper chain. There is a template on the BPA Texas Website for the chain links. Your local chapter president will then take your “Love Chain” to RLC where your Regional President will collect the chain along with the money raised. At the awards ceremony, they will then present the chapter that raised the
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most money with special recognition. Your Regional President will walk across the stage at SLC and turn in your Region’s contribution to Special Olympics!
Due to the success of last year’s Special Event, we will be bringing back the inflatables and casino! We also have a special surprise for those who donate $10 at the BPA booth… not only will you enter the special event an hour early BUT you will be able to join the State Officer
Team in this year’s
Walkin’ On Water for Special Olympics! With your donation, you will be invited to take a walk down the Corpus Christi sea wall and enjoy both the ocean and beautiful weather, so don’t miss out!
$10,000
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