MCHS Beta Club
Contributor
When the Madison County High School (MCHS) Beta Club members left the county for the Beta State Convention on Friday, Jan. 27, they had no idea their group would be returning with a plethora of accolades. Two days later, they returned home from Orlando, exhausted but exhilarated. MCHS placed first, second, and third in three different categories, and the entire group also brought home a club award. In addition, sponsor Susanne Griffin was pleasantly surprised to receive a 10-year sponsor award, the only one presented at the state sponsors’ meeting.
Before the convention began at the Gaylord Palms Resort, some of the attendees had already participated in individual and group competitions. Chakeria McCrary took an English test, Arely Serrano took a Spanish test, Fontasia Davis participated in the creative writing competition and the Book Battle team of Judy Anderson, Avril Mapps, and Ja’Mesia Ray completed a literature exam. All tests were taken online in a 45-minute time period.
On the morning of departure, the 16 MCHS students, one sponsor, and three chaperones began a Beta journey that had not been taken in decades...attending and competing in many State Convention contests. Before arriving at the Convention site, however, the students visited Disney Springs to eat lunch at Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming Restaurant. Smith, a Hamilton County native, attended North Florida Junior College in the early 1980’s with Griffin. After NFJC, Smith attended Florida State University and went on to become the personal chef of Governor Bob Graham and Oprah Winfrey. He is a respected author, humanitarian, philanthropist and James Beard award-winning chef with several restaurants around the country. Griffin contacted Smith before the convention and asked if he could reserve two tables for the large Beta contingency. He graciously agreed. While the group was placing their lunch orders, the group’s waiter informed them that they were on Chef Art’s “VIP list” and their entire bill was covered. This was not the first time that Smith so generously supported the Betas, but it certainly took the group by surprise. “I almost started crying right there in the restaurant,” said Griffin. “Art has such a compassionate heart for these small-town kids. He is so very generous; even the employees at the restaurant boasted about his giving nature.” Griffin urged her Beta group to remember his generosity and pay it forward when they become adults.
After checking in at the hotel, the group quickly became industrious. The instrumental trio group of Haley Glavich, Raul Duarte-Santiago and James Dice donned their jazz band uniforms and competed in the Performing Arts Preliminaries. Bethany Glover entered her Digital Art print in the Visual Arts competition. The Robotics team of Josh Hill, Ian Rogers, John Ramirez and Jonah Chirinos-Sanchez participated in the Robotics Showcase. Breann Rasmussen set up the Service Learning Showcase trifold board that the club constructed to highlight its projects for the 2022-23 school year. As the club members were preparing to attend the First General Session, the musical trio of Glavich, Duarte-Santiago, and Dice learned that they had placed in the top three and were required to perform again at the General Session. During that session, Griffin accepted the G.O.L.D. Key Award (Growing Opportunities By Leadership Development) for obtaining growth in convention attendance.
On Saturday, Jan. 28, the MCHS Betas enjoyed viewing the Living Literature entries, the Visual Arts submissions, and the Service Learning Showcases. After a quick lunch, they attended the Second General Session and voted for Beta Club state officers. While almost everyone had some free time to relax, swim, shop or play arcade games; Lucy Frakes participated in the Speech Contest, one of the most popular competitions of the convention. Afterwards, Griffin attended the Sponsor Meeting, and chaperones Brigitte Gudz, Michelle Rasmussen, and Jonas Adalid Chirinos-Aleman took the group to dinner and returned just in time to attend the Third General Session. At that event, the MCHS Instrumental Trio captured third place in the state, the Book Battle group was named the second place state winner, and the Robotics Team was declared First Place Robotics Showcase Champion for the state of Florida.
“I was so very proud of this group, not just because many of them competed and won, but because of how they conducted themselves at the convention,” said Griffin. “They learned from their mistakes, they encouraged each other, they met new people, and they witnessed some awesome performances and submissions. Many of them returned to MCHS eager to improve upon their skills so that they will place at the National Level. We are so very grateful to Robin Hill, Superintendent Shirley Joseph, and the School Board members for allowing us to compete at the state level. We also want to thank Beth Moore for cooking chicken and rice for our fundraiser and the Madison citizens for buying tickets and donating money. Our chaperones and the bus driver, Ms. Avril, were awesome, and the robotics team won first place in the state because they have a fantastic robotics instructor, Ms. Brigitte Gudz. We are blessed to live in this community that is so very supportive. We have some great, intelligent, compassionate kids who often get overlooked.”
The groups who competed and placed at the state level are now eligible to attend and compete at the National Beta Club Convention in Louisville, Ky., from Saturday, June 17, to Tuesday, June 20. The MCHS Beta Club officers who attended and competed in the Regional Leadership Summit in LaGrange, Ga., in October, are also eligible to compete at the National level. The team of Zar’Reyon McDaniel, Arely Serrano, Anna Ebberson, and Avril Mapps became a National Qualifier in the Project Proposal competition. The Collaboration Connection team of Anesha Robinson, Harlee Davis, Hope Horne, and Karen Ferguson-Conner also became a National Qualifier at the Regional Summit. In addition, the officer group was named an Outstanding Leadership School for 2022-23.
With so many students eligible to attend and compete at the National Convention in Kentucky, they will need to have many fundraisers to help defray the cost of transportation, meals, convention fees, and lodging. If anyone would like to donate to this worthy cause, please contact MCHS at (850) 973-5071 or Susanne Griffin at (850) 973-5777.