Students compete at business conference

Six Gordon Cooper Technology Center students brought home seven national championship awards from the Business Professionals of America national conference in Dallas last week.
“Gordon Cooper Technology Center was certainly well represented at the national competition this year,” GCTC Accounting and Financial Services teacher Kathy Lowry said.
All first-place winners will get a laptop computer from the Oklahoma BPA chapter.
GCTC Network Systems Technology student Joe Wyers of Chandler High School won the national championship in PC Servicing and Troubleshooting.
Accounting student Charla Cline of Cushing won the Fundamental Accounting national competition and the Administrative Support Concepts competition.
The GCTC post-secondary Presentation Management Team won first place.
The Presentation Management Team consisted of accounting student Shellie Cooper of Okemah, office management student Melissa Dethrow of Shawnee, business management student Rowena Fellows of Earlsboro and office management student Brittany Rickard of McLoud.
Several students also placed in the top 10 nationally. Charla Cline placed second in the insurance concepts competition. Accounting student Kara Gibson of Shawnee placed fourth in the insurance concepts category.
Charla Cline placed eighth nationally in computerized accounting. Accounting student Lavonna Tiger of Shawnee placed ninth in computerized accounting.
Also qualifying for the national competition were accounting student Emerald Herron of Shawnee, accounting student Erin Bender, home school student from Chandler; and accounting student Janie Elzy of Shawnee.
The students’ instructors are Kevin Gober, networking systems; Terri Harp, office management; Betty Lowrance, business management; and Kathy Lowry, accounting and financial services.