The Riverside Business Professionals of America 2022-23 Parliamentary Procedure Team members include, from the left, Tyler Knight, Gavin Orsborne, Jorden Dunham, Kaleb Schindewolf, Brice Kauffman, Jayden Hoffer, Jaidyn Jackson. (RIVERSIDE PHOTO)
BY KELLY KAUFFMAN
Riverside Schools Middle School/High School Principal
Schools are often the glue that holds a community together. For the southwest corner of Logan County, Riverside Local Schools definitely fits that definition.
Compared to the other schools in the county, Riverside is small. In fact, the school district is about a third of the size of other public schools in our county. Some might think that would limit opportunities for students to explore their talents and find their passions, but that notion couldn’t be further from reality. In smaller schools, students are encouraged to participate in as many inter- and extracurricular activities as they want. This allows students to gain a wide perspective of their peers and their community.
The goal at Riverside is for our students to feel loved and supported through high expectations. We want our students to graduate with a feeling of gratitude and excitement as they start the next chapter of their lives. We know that an individual is not “finished” when they walk out of our doors. On the contrary, they are just beginning to live their lives.
Perhaps the greatest example of how a small school can provide big opportunities to students is Riverside’s Business Professionals of America (BPA) chapter, a student organization that enables students to compete in a wide variety of contests that test their knowledge, presentation and communication skills.
This program is offered through the partnership with Ohio Hi-Point Career Center. The two satellite programs that offer this program are Business and Media Arts.
In 2013, Jonathan Wheeler was the lone Pirate to advance to the National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Orlando, Fla., for Riverside’s jumpstarted chapter of Business Professionals of America. Now 11 conferences later, 30 Riverside students attended the 2023 NLC in Anaheim, Calif.
Although the BPA Chapter at Riverside began with only six members in 2012-13, its numbers tallied 117 members at the end of the 2022-23 school year.
This career tech student organization has provided opportunities for more than 1,000 students over the years. Not only have students reaped the benefits of educational sessions through local, regional and state learning conferences, but the members have had social networking opportunities as well.
In today’s digital age, it is a blessing when teenagers get face-to-face contact with students from across the country, according to Lindsay Wyan, Riverside’s BPA adviser.
There are multiple leadership opportunities throughout the year for members who are interested. From local officer positions to regional and state offices, Riverside students often find themselves leading students from much larger schools and metropolitan areas.
Chase Davidson served as a state officer in 2021-2022, and now Carter Kreglow, as a sophomore, is serving as an Ohio state officer.
Running for a state office — much like competing against state and national competitors — often means Riverside students in grades 9-12 compete against juniors and seniors from some of the largest career tech centers in the state and country.
Being part of a comprehensive high school program means that Riverside students have just a class period to work on their program, as compared to career tech centers, who have students for an entire day.
In addition to leadership opportunities, educational sessions, networking and competitions, BPA students have an incredible chance to get more involved in their communities as well. Through fundraising efforts — because it takes a lot of money to feed 30 teenagers in California —students work hand-in-hand with local businesses.
A perfect example, according to Wyan, is the partnership with the Hall family and The Donut Shop.
Students market donuts throughout the week, compile orders, pick up orders and sell donuts — developing their transaction and customer service skills. As a result, fundraising turns into job skills.
In addition to competitions as a way to advance, BPA members (some of whom may never test or present well) can participate in a program called the Torch Awards System. This system credits students for many activities that ultimately benefit their communities. Acts of service, such as aiding the elderly or taking part in events that celebrate patriotism, are win-win opportunities for the students interested in growing their Torch resumes.
While students often culminate their BPA careers in a once-in-a-lifetime trip across the country, the real winners are the community in which these students live as they have sharpened their skills and character traits that will make the world a better place for all.
Alaina Snow is a record-setting Riverside Class of 2023 graduate as a student who has qualified for the national competition all four years of high school and completed a rigorous Torch resume not once, but three times in her high school career.
Although Snow could have continued to qualify in her initial contest each year, she pushed herself and qualified in increasingly difficult contests each year. This year, her entrepreneurial spirit led her to the national stage in her entrepreneurship business.
It is all in the family. Small schools, such as Riverside, are often seen more as a big family than an educational institution. This has never been truer than the Parliamentary Procedure competition. This Parli Pro group was initially formed in 2018 and has been at the top of their game ever since.
As seniors graduate and new students are invited to take part in this highly-competitive contest, it is often a sibling who fills a vacant spot. Kara Kauffman, a freshman during the initial team formation, was joined later by cousin Rachel Knight. When Kara was a senior, her younger brother Brice came on as a freshman.
This team, in addition to demonstrating a meeting run by Roberts Rules of Order, goes through many of the same emotions as a normal family. While prepping is a year-round activity, teamwork and conflict resolution continue to be honed skills.
Students who qualified to attend nationals this year were: Carter Kreglow, Faith Brownlee, Jailyn Leeper, Andrew Knight, Tyler Knight, Briana Bradley, Simon Godwin, Rachel Knight, Jade Copas, Nataleigh Lewellen, Kristina Plank, Hayden Gammell, Sam Knight, Alaina Snow, Ava Klingler, Rielee Richmond, Sienna Stewart, Sam King, Gage Stevenson, Halyn McClintick, Siera Barhorst, Skylar Barhorst, Dallas Hoffer, Kathlyn Richards, Kaleb Schindewolf, Jaidyn Jackson, Brice Kauffman, Gavin Orsborne, Jayden Hoffer and Jorden Dunham.
The Riverside BPA organization is always interested in forging new business relationships and sponsorships. Contact co-advisers Linsday Wyan or Courtney Deady for more information at lwyan or call (937) 726-9540.
Riverside BPA members receive their Ambassador Torch Awards at the national convention this spring. Recipients are: Skylar Barhorst, Siera Barhorst, Sam Knight, Alaina Snow, Briana Bradley, Rachel Knight, Faith Brownlee, Andrew Knight, Dallas Hoffer and Jade Copas. (RIVERSIDE PHOTO)
