All things Business Professionals of America have swamped St. Louis High School recently. Ask any BPA kid, “What’s got you stressed?” and they’ll answer, “BPA.” All that hard work goes to the right places, but not just for the student body. The BPA advisors, Andrea Biehl and Terri Reeves, also reap the benefits of all the hard work they put in for the club. Reeves especially has received a lot of recognition for her accomplishments with BPA and ended up receiving the Barbara Chambers Outstanding Advisor Award at the state conference!
“Receiving the Barbara Chambers Outstanding Advisor Award is a tremendous honor, and I was very surprised to receive such a prestigious award. When they began the presentation for the award, I didn’t realize they were talking about me, but I eventually caught on,” shared Reeves. “I honestly had tears in my eyes, but I didn’t want to start crying and have to go on stage to accept the award, so I tried to pull myself together.”
Nobody is more deserving to win the award than Reeves, who has been an advisor of BPA for 23 years, and has committed so much to the program. “I have been a co-advisor with Mrs. Reeves since 2011, and I am very thankful to work with her,” shared fellow BPA advisor Biehl. “She has a calm, positive approach when working with students, and I have learned a great deal from her.”
A special part of the award occurred when one of Reeves’ students, BPA state president Curtis Brashaw, announced that Reeves would be receiving the award. “I feel this award means so much to me because I was nominated by members of our SLHS Chapter, and the fact that they felt I was worthy of receiving this honor is what makes it so special,” Reeves stated. “I never expected to receive an award like the Outstanding Advisor Award, and it is one of the greatest honors of my teaching career.”
A special part of this award comes from the fact that Reeves will be retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Winning this award really solidified a milestone in Reeves’ career. Still, even after winning the award, and with an upcoming retirement, Reeves isn’t done with BPA. “Making the decision to retire was a difficult decision for me because I love being a teacher and BPA advisor at SLHS. One thing that will make the transition easier is that I have been asked to continue working with Business Professionals of America as an alumni, and I plan to stay involved as much as possible because it is such an amazing program for students,” Reeves commented.
