CBSS competitors win state trophies

MOSES LAKE - Three Columbia Basin Secondary School students brought home trophies from an annual conference designed to spotlight students' workplace skills.

Junior Chelsea Farley-Domby won the PowerPoint and desktop publishing competitions, and placed third in business math at the Washington Association of Diversified Occupations Teachers state leadership conference. Senior Ashley Martin was second in job interviewing, and sophomore Mischelle Valerio-Truman was fourth in desktop publishing and fifth in food service.

Six CBSS students involved in Future Business Leaders of America and the Associated Student Body attended the conference and entered competition, said instructor Terri Pixlee. The conference and competition mainly are meant for students who are working or have worked, Pixlee said.

Competitors get a list of requirements, Farley-Domby said, and then develop their entries. In the case of CBSS participants, Pixlee reviewed the presentation and helped with revisions.

Farley-Domby already had experience with blue ribbons. "This was my second year taking first place" in the PowerPoint presentation, she said.

The judges are looking for a informative presentation, free of errors, and a presenter with good speaking skills and professional attire, she said.

The desktop publishing competition doesn't require a presentation, but the final project must be error-free and reader-friendly, Farley-Domby said. All competitions are targeted toward the workplace, Pixlee said, and the food service competition was "like a restaurant setup." It required students to take care of the "customer," from seating to calculating the bill.