Mariner Middle students net 25 awards at state contest

Mariner Middle Business Professionals of America students netted 25 awards at the state level, where newcomer Daisy Hughes and veteran Hannah Wells tied the school record set by Alivia Longo to become the most awarded members in chapter history.  

This year’s 18-member cohort at the Delaware BPA State Leadership Conference in March comprised 12 new and six returning seventh- and eighth-graders, said BPA advisor and teacher Dr. Daniel Shockley. Students competed in individual and/or group events focusing on business, finance and marketing essentials.

“I am proud to announce that 14 of 18 individuals secured top-three and top-five finishes, the most of any middle school chapter,” Shockley said.

Together, Mariner’s BPA finalists returned home with 25 wins, including the 2024 Special Olympics Award presented to the entire team.  

“Mariner BPA continued to dominate the administrative support team, graphic design individual and word processing individual events,” Shockley said.  

A Mariner administrative support team has earned first place for six consecutive years, Shockley said, noting the school’s first all-boys administrative support team placed third.

And, Mariner swept the business communications and computer literacy open events, securing each top-five position in both, vying against about 500 competitors from 19 middle schools in each category, Shockley said.  

The success of Mariner’s team can be attributed to students who know each other’s strengths and how to best use them in competition, Shockley said.

“This group is all friends, so they’re very comfortable with each other and good about accepting feedback,” he said. 

Student attention now shifts to preparing for the BPA National Leadership Conference in Chicago May 10-14, and to securing finances necessary to reduce overall costs incurred by parents/guardians, Shockley said.

The club is fortunate to have received donations from the district, Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation, several local businesses and organizations, Shockley said, and will hold dine and donate events at Dewey Beer Pizza Machine Wednesday, April 10, with others planned for Crooked Hammock and Shell We Bounce.

The Mariner BPA store featuring Mariner and Cape gear is now live and will serve as a fundraiser to help current and future finalists, Shockley said. Students worked with LogoMotive to design all gear, Shockley said, and they have a voice in clothing options and prices as well. 

The store is open at https://tinyurl.com/y8e9znpp and will close at midnight, Sunday, April 14. All orders will be distributed in about five weeks.

A club GoFundMe has been set up at https://tinyurl.com/2s86ywya. 

Student awards

Natalie Arseneau, third place, Spreadsheet Applications
Blair Chubb, first place, Graphic Design Promotion; second place, Business Communication Concepts; fourth place, Computer Literacy 
Logan Copp, second place, Business Math 
Kate Dowd, fourth place, Word Processing 
Linley Draper, first place, Business Fundamental Concept; first place, Computer Literacy
Meredith Frederick, third place, Computer Literacy; fourth place, Business Fundamentals; fourth place, Business Math
Daisy Hughes, second place, Computer Literacy; third place, Business Fundamentals; fourth place, Business Communications; fifth place, Business Math
Allison Ortiz-Rivera, fifth place, Business Communications
Isaac Stuart, first place, Business Math 
Carson Tuer, first place, Business Communications
Hannah Wells, second place, Business Fundamentals; third place, Word Processing; third place, Business Communications; fifth place, Computer Literacy
MMS Team 1: Linley Draper, Meredith Frederick and Daisy Hughes, first place, Administrative Support Team
MMS Team 2: Quinn Kluchnik, Carson Tuer, Trizton Willey and Cody Williamson, third place, Administrative Support Team.