Montgomery Central's Joseph Reece wins The Tennessean Student of the Week for business
Joseph raked in 8,823 votes in the poll, which specifically recognized outstanding students involved in school Future Business Leaders of America or DECA – sometimes called Distributive Education Clubs of America – clubs.
The poll brought in more than 16,000 votes from across Middle Tennessee.
Mt. Juliet High School junior Claire Warta came in second place with 5,584 votes.
Joseph has been part of Montgomery Central's FBLA program for three years, consistently competing and placing at the state level. He's also placed sixth nationally in Database Applications.
The Tennessean asks Middle Tennessee high school principals, guidance counselors, teachers and staff to send us their best students in different categories throughout the school year for our Student of the Week feature.
We then let you, the reader, decide who deserves the title by voting in our weekly poll. Check Tennessean.com on Monday morning to vote in our next poll.
Here is a look at the 12 students nominated for the most recent FBLA and DECA poll and what was said about them by school faculty:
Ayah Al-Horshi, Overton High: As a two-year DECA member, Ayah has demonstrated commitment to developing her business acumen and leadership skills, consistently striving for greatness in every endeavor. Her aspiration to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) reflects a passion for the business world and her drive to succeed in a challenging and impactful career. Ayah is described as possessing an exceptional work ethic, intelligence and determination make her a standout student and a promising leader who is poised to make significant business contributions in the future.
Emily Angel, Lebanon High: The senior has been a member of FBLA all four years and her team has placed first at every state competition to date. Additionally, they placed seventh at a national competition this past summer. Emily plans to become a teacher and follow in the footsteps of her late mother, who passed away earlier this school year. She already manages her own business, where she teaches youth tumbling. She hopes to expand that one day and operate her own cheerleading gym in addition to her teaching career. She is described as bright, creative, and has excellent work ethic.
Kennedy Cantrell, Greenbrier High: The current president of the school's FBLA chapter who also participated in the 2024 State Leadership Conference.
Kennedi DeMarcus, Hendersonville High: Kennedi has served with FBLA for the past three years and is currently the vice president and "heartbeat" of school's chapter. Kennedi is the first to volunteer her time or talents to Hendersonville's student body and community and the school looks to replicate her leadership within its younger student population.
Luke Elkins, Stewart County High: A four-year member of FBLA, which ignited Luke's entrepreneurial spirit as he turned his passion for fishing into an environmentally conscious business venture. Re-Baits Soft Plastics was born when Luke realized the number of soft plastic lures tossed into the lakes and waterways locally and across the region. who embodies the organization's three goals of service, education and progress. He devised a plan to collect used lures and recycle them into new lures improving our local waterways. Luke is currently serving as his local chapter's Co-President and as Tennessee FBLA State Vice President. A three-time state and national competitor, he has developed his leadership, public speaking, and professional skills. His dedication to academic excellence is evident in his performance across all subjects and demonstrates a strong work ethic.
Taylor Mackenzie Richins, Rossview High: The president of he Rossview High FBLA chapter is described as a student who embodies leadership, dedication, and excellence in everything she does. Has proven herself to be an inspiring leader, guiding her peers with poise and passion. On top of her leadership role, Mackenzie works part time and is a standout member of the dance team, balancing the demands of practice and performance while maintaining a commitment to her academic achievements. Mackenzie's drive, determination, and well-rounded abilities make her a school role model at school and poised for even greater accomplishments in the future.
Carly Mitchell, Wilson Central High: The junior was selected for the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Tennessee State Career Development Conference social media team, a highly competitive opportunity. Carly impressed by showing her passion for showcasing the DECA experience and creativity in content creation. As a team member, she will produce engaging TikTok videos and Instagram Reels to promote Tennessee DECA's brand and the 2025 State Career Development Conference. As a member of this exceptional team, Carly will gain exclusive access to insider information, contribute to Tennessee DECA's social media presence and play an essential role in shaping the digital landscape for DECA members and advisors.
Maddox Mooney, Gallatin High: The senior is a driven and dedicated student who showcases strong leadership skills as Gallatin High's DECA President , contributing to a significant growth in membership and student participation. Maddox is also a four-year member of the Gallatin High basketball team, on the tennis team member and actively involved in JROTC. As a leading manager of GreenWave Grounds, Gallatin High's DECA coffee shop, he co-wrote the school's 2025 school-based Enterprise Manual contributing to its operational success and financial growth. As a young entrepreneur, Maddox also owns and operates APEX Exterior Services, demonstrating his commitment to excellence both in and outside the classroom.
Justin Price, Riverdale: Described as an outstanding business student with a bright future in the business and marketing industry. A leader who consistently does top notch work with a smile, going above and beyond every day.
Joseph Reece, Montgomery Central High: The junior has been an exemplary member of the school's FBLA program for three years, consistently competing and placing at the state level and achieving 6th place nationally in Database Applications. As the parliamentarian of FBLA, Joseph he has shown strong leadership skills and he recently earned two Microsoft Office Specialist certifications, achieving a perfect score of 100% on the Microsoft Excel exam. Alongside his FBLA involvement, Joseph is a dedicated Life Scout working toward his Eagle Scout rank and serves as a Cadet Captain in JROTC. He is an officer/leader in numerous prestigious clubs and a member of over seven clubs that highlight his academics and desire to help his community. Described as a student with a commitment to excellence combined with a willingness to take on leadership roles, reflects his determination to succeed in the business field. Joseph's pursuits illustrate his strong character and ability to lead effectively in diverse environments.
Nathan Stevens, Westmoreland High: The senior actively participates in Future Business Leaders of America, winning multiple business competitions and serving as an officer. Described as possessing leadership qualities, a strong work ethic, positive attitude, and a willingness to help others.
Claire Warta, Mt. Juliet High: The junior became a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) since her sophomore year. Claire held the position of reporter as a sophomore and is currently president of the school's chapter. Competed at the State Leadership Conference in Chattanooga and qualified for the National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida. Club membership has grown by 63% as Claire has been acting president. One of 15 high school students chosen nationwide to participate in an entrepreneur program called The Journey. Through The Journey, Claire is on track to launch a business this spring. Also a member of the National Honors Society and the National Technical Honors Society. Involved in church, which includes serving Sundays in the children's department. Has maintained a 4.0 weighted graded point average throughout high school career, which inlcudes Honors, Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses. Plans to attend Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona and major Applied Entrepreneurship.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Montgomery Central's Reece named The Tennessean Student of the Week
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
The AI startup Nominal wants to address the accountant shortage. Read the pitch deck that it used to raise $20 million.
The startup Nominal raised $20 million to turbocharge financial planning with agentic AI. The serial founders sold their last AI startup for $70 million. As the number of people becoming accountants declines, AI startups are trying to address that. Nominal, a New York-based startup seeking to turbocharge financial planning with agentic AI, raised $20 million last month. The AI startup is arriving at an opportune moment as the number of people becoming Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) is on the decline. Cofounder and CEO Guy Leibovitz shared the pitch deck the team used to close its Series A. The deck showed how Nominal would use AI to address the accountant shortage and handle manual accounting labor, as the majority of accountants approach retirement and fewer people take the CPA exam. Nominal's new round brings its total funding to $30 million. Next47 led the round, which included participation from Workday Ventures, Bling Capital, and Hyperwise Ventures. The company declined to share its valuation. Leibovitz and Nominal's cofounder and CTO, Golan Kopichinsky, previously built another AI startup together in data security, Cognigo, which sold to NetApp for $70 million in 2019. After the acquisition, Leibovitz saw firsthand much of the manual work NetApp's finance teams struggled with, which inspired the creation of Nominal. Leibovitz likened Nominal to a hot $5 billion legal tech startup by calling it " Harvey for accountants and finance teams." Nominal plugs into a company's existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and helps CFOs and controllers automate tasks to reduce manual work and errors. The company said its product can analyze financial forecasts, reconcile balance sheets, and more. Nominal makes money by selling annual subscriptions based on usage, and Leibovitz said revenue doubled every quarter last year. Funding will go to expanding operations in North America and adding more AI agents to the product. Nominal has 40 employees, Leibovitz said, and it has dozens of customers, including auto shop chain Jiffy Lube and business travel company GoGlobal. Nominal isn't alone in disrupting ERP systems with AI. Earlier this month, AI startup Rillet announced it raised $70 million from Andreessen Horowitz and ICONIQ, while Campfire announced a $35 million Series A raise led by Accel in June. Here's a look at the pitch deck Nominal used to raise its $20 million Series A. Certain slides have been edited and removed so that the deck can be shared publicly. Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal Nominal
Wall Street Journal
11 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Lawmakers Win Round in Spending Fight With White House
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration has restored a public website that tracks federal spending, marking a victory for lawmakers who complained that the White House was using the blackout to freeze funding without public disclosures. The dispute over the website has coincided with a fight between President Trump and Capitol Hill over the administration's aggressive efforts to curtail what it deems excessive spending, challenging Congress's power of the purse. The website was taken down in March by the White House Office of Management and Budget, prompting a lawsuit by advocacy groups that argued the administration was violating a public-disclosure law.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spokane County considers hiking certain construction fees by more than 1,500%
(The Center Square) – Building in Spokane County could become much more expensive soon, as local officials consider hiking several permitting fees for the first time in years, some by more than 1,500%. Spokane County Public Works charges a variety of fees to cover its costs, but many of those have sat stagnant for over a decade. While neglected for years, the Board of County Commissioners has a more than $20 million deficit to balance ahead of 2026, and adjusting these fees could help close that delta. Environmental Services Administrator Ben Brattebo briefed the board on several proposals Monday, focusing on four areas: right–of-way fees, development services and traffic fees, floodplain fees and sewer fees. Developers would face the largest cost increases, but will likely pass those on to buyers. 'About 15 years ago,' Brattebo replied when asked how long it had been since the county last raised its development fees. 'These are just for building a subdivision or building a big commercial project, and so this won't hit the individual homeowners except for that it comes through in the lot price.' He was referring to plat administration and zone administration fees, commercial building permits and other types of fees; essentially, costs developers pay and then split between each unit in that project. The current hourly billing system is unpredictable, so the department proposed moving toward a flat, lump-sum model. For preliminary long plat with 29 lots or more, the current fee would go from around $500 to $7,250, a 1,350% increase. Zoning reclassifications, comprehensive plan amendments, and conditional use permits will all increase from $250 to $3,000, a 1,110% hike, and that's only the start. 'Suggest that maybe you spend some time with [county spokesperson] Pat Bell and work out the messaging,' Commissioner Al French said, 'because I can already see the headline: 'County increases fees by $250 to $3,000.'' The officials noted that many of the proposed fees align with those of other surrounding jurisdictions. Regardless, sticker shock is a factor, but Tuesday was only the first touch for the board. They plan to continue discussing the fee increases over the coming weeks. Some may go up while others may fall. Residential floodplain permit fees currently cost $140, but could rise to $2,000, a nearly 1,330% hike. Commercial floodplain permits would go from $235 to $4,000, representing an over 1,600% increase. French worries that the fees may give off the impression that the county anti-development, when in reality, the department is gasping for air after more than a decade without adjustments. Average homeowners will still feel the impact, though, as sewer and utility connection fees may also rise from $150 to $250. 'We need to continue to keep our eyes on this and refine moving forward, but we are 15 plus years behind and way far away from cost recovery,' Public Works Director Kyle Twohig told the board. Solve the daily Crossword
