13-03-2025
Blue Mountain students shine at statewide competition
A Blue Mountain ninth-grader recently became the district's first student to earn top honors in a statewide Microsoft Office academic competition, while three other students from the district earned top 10 finishes.
Hundreds of students from dozens of school districts across the state competed in the 2024 Fall Qualifier Microsoft Office Specialist Pennsylvania State Championship. They took tests on specific Microsoft Office programs, with their scores then compared to their competitors to determine who did best.
The four Blue Mountain students who earned top 10 finishes in their categories are freshmen instructed by Tom Kanger, lead teacher in the high school business department.
They are Logan Bachert, who finished first in the Microsoft 365 Apps category, Nicholas Smith and Evan Bixler, who finished fourth and ninth in that category, respectively, and Krash Long, who finished sixth in the Office 2019 category.
Students aged 13 to 22 were eligible to participate in one of six competition tracks by submitting a qualified, passing score on certification exams, meaning the Blue Mountain students are all now certified in those programs.
'We have seen amazing results from the Microsoft Office Specialist program at our school as students learn and validate key workforce skills,' Kanger said. 'We are proud of these students who have proven to be the best in our state. We know they will go on to make us proud.'
Competition organizers said that the skills the students earned in preparation for the competition will serve them well in both their academic and career pursuits.
Bachert said that his first-place finish makes him more confident that he'll be able to overcome future challenges as well.
'It's really cool knowing that I'm an official Microsoft Word specialist, because it really let me prove to myself that I have the ability to do well with this, and many other things,' he said.
Smith admitted to some early nerves while taking the test but said he was able to overcome them.
'I was nervous at the beginning, but it got easier after starting the test and it is good to know I can pass a national certification exam,' he said.
Kanger, who has been teaching business at Blue Mountain for 20 years, said that his students put a lot of work into preparing for their tests and to compete against students from across Pennsylvania.
Bachert and Smith both finished with perfect scores in their categories, he said, but Bachert earned first for finishing the exam more quickly.
'These are really important certifications, and they all did extraordinary,' he said.
'I'm not sure that they like all of those hours or work, but when they did well on their exams, they got happy. They're good kids. I'm proud of them.'
