By. Alexis Hill, Intern
Tullahoma City Schools students brought home multiple national awards and recognition during the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference, with students from both West Middle School and Tullahoma High School earning top finishes and prestigious individual recognitions.
West Middle School sent 13 students to the national conference, where they competed in 14 different events. The chapter celebrated three national placings, including a national championship, while continuing to build on its reputation as one of Tennessee’s most successful middle school FBLA programs.
Juliette Raynal was selected as Tennessee’s Young Leader recipient and represented the state on stage during the Opening Session’s Parade of States. The Young Leader Award recognizes one student from each state for exceptional commitment to leadership and community service. Raynal shared the stage with Tennessee’s Adviser of the Year, State President and Tennessee’s Who’s Who recipient.
Joseph Halfacre earned a ninth-place national finish in Digital Citizenship, an event that tests students’ knowledge of safe, ethical and responsible behavior in digital environments through a 50-question objective exam. The competition encourages students to develop the skills needed to navigate the online world with confidence, responsibility and integrity.
Gavin Good placed sixth in the nation in Exploring Parliamentary Procedure, demonstrating his understanding of meeting structure, debate and voting procedures through a 50-question objective test. The achievement also marked a family milestone, as Gavin’s brother, Hayden, earned a sixth-place national finish in the same event in 2023 when it was known as Running an Effective Meeting.
Analeigh Spain captured the National Championship in Exploring FBLA, becoming the top competitor in the nation in the event. The objective test measures students’ knowledge of FBLA’s history, mission, programs and organizational structure. Spain’s victory marked a historic milestone for Tullahoma City Schools, as she became the first FBLA National Champion from Tullahoma in four years and the first female National Champion in the city’s FBLA history. She is also just the third middle school student from Tennessee to win a national FBLA championship. Her title represents a major accomplishment not only for West Middle School but for the entire Tullahoma FBLA program, which has continued to build a strong tradition of excellence on the national stage.
Founded in the fall of 2018, the West Middle School FBLA chapter has now earned 15 national awards, including two national championships, in eight appearances at the National Leadership Conference. Spain’s championship is the chapter’s first national title since 2023 and its 15th national award overall.
Tullahoma High School also had an impressive showing, sending 19 students to compete in 11 national events.
Graduating senior Thomas Peyton Cunningham received one of Tennessee’s highest FBLA honors when he was selected as the state’s Who’s Who recipient. The award recognizes one member from each state who has made outstanding contributions to FBLA at the local, state and national levels.
Cunningham also earned national recognition as one of 15 finalists for the Business Achievement Awards Capstone Project out of more than 280 submissions nationwide. His project, titled Voice in Action, focused on increasing political awareness and civic engagement among high school students through representative walkthroughs, voter registration partnerships and community outreach efforts.
As part of the project, Cunningham worked alongside State Sen. Janice Bowling to develop the proposed Tennessee High School Voter Rights Act, legislation that would allow eligible high school students age 18 and older to receive an excused absence from school to vote in federal, state and local elections if approved by lawmakers.
Cunningham was recognized a second time during the Awards of Excellence ceremony after placing ninth in the nation in the premier Future Business Leader event, which evaluates leadership, business knowledge and organizational involvement through written materials, testing and interviews. After advancing to the finals, he completed a second interview before FBLA President and CEO Jennifer Woods and FBLA Board Past Chair Jennifer Claus. The finish marked Cunningham’s second consecutive national award after placing ninth in Electronic Career Portfolio in 2025 and represents Tullahoma High School’s third national FBLA placing in school history.
Tullahoma High School student Edward Henry also made school history by running for the national office of Southern Region Vice President. While he was not elected, school officials believe he is the first Tullahoma FBLA student to seek a national leadership position.
Overall, Tennessee students earned national placings in eight events across the middle and high school divisions, with Tullahoma City Schools claiming four of those eight national awards.
The conference also marked a milestone for Tullahoma’s FBLA adviser, Franklin Cammack, who became the first Tennessee FBLA adviser to have students earn national placings at both the middle school and high school levels during the same national conference. With this year’s results, the adviser has now guided students to 11 high school national awards, including four national championships, and 15 middle school national awards, including two national championships, during his career.
The strong showing by both West Middle School and Tullahoma High School highlighted another successful year for Tullahoma City Schools’ FBLA programs, with students earning national recognition for leadership, academic excellence, civic engagement and business knowledge while representing Tennessee on one of the organization’s biggest stages.
