Staff writer
Peabody-Burns High School senior Seth Methvin recently was elected state president of Kansas Business Professionals of America for the 2008-09 school year.
During his junior year, Methvin served as state vice president. He campaigned successfully for the presidency this past October at the BPS Fall Delegate Conference at the University of Kansas, Lawrence.
BPA is a student organization that helps prepare individuals for office and business careers. It also provides learning experience in time and money management. BPA is an organization assisting in goal setting and the achievement of those goals.
To obtain the highest state office in the student organization, Methvin was required to give a speech outlining his platform and answer three random questions posed to him by the state advisor of the organization.
Voting delegates to the convention elected four officers for the organization. Five students from PBHS were among the voting delegates — Embry Hodges, Martin Hofkamp, Kaitlyn Preheim, Danielle Savage, and Julie Wedel.
Methvin had encouragement from a sponsor to run for the office.
“My last year’s BPA adviser, Jana Wedel, suggested that I run for the office. She pointed out to me that it was a great opportunity to get more involved with the group and she said the experience would be good for me,” Methvin said. “She was right. I love to talk and be in front of a group. So far it has been a blast.”
Duties of the president include a meeting with the Kansas State Board of Education and setting up and organizing state BPA competition, which will be held Feb. 19-21, 2009, in Wichita. Methvin also will be a voting delegate and will carry the Kansas flag at the national competition in Dallas.
He has qualified to attend National BPA convention for three years.
“I compete in prepared speech. That means I must prepare a speech based on a topic I choose and do a five to seven minute speech relating to that topic. Of course, the topic has to be business related,” Methvin said. “I placed seventh in the nation in New York in 2007 and third in the nation in Reno last year.”
Methvin’s other interests include acting and sports. He has participated in PBHS drama productions and forensics. He is a member of the Warrior cross-country and track teams and the Peabody swim team. He also is a member of student council, band, and National Honor Society.
Eighteen local PBHS Business Professionals of America members, including Methvin, attended the fall delegate convention with this year’s sponsor, Patty Savage.
“For those who know me, they know I will do my best. I am a hard worker and I always strive to do my best,” Methvin said. “For those who don’t know me, I will do everything to show them I will do the best job I can.
“My goal has always been to be the best at whatever I do. I’m extremely excited to have the chance to lead the organization this year.”
Seth is the son of Jeff and Laurie Methvin of Peabody.