Make it back-to-back School of the Year wins for the Swift Current Comprehensive High School at the annual Saskatchewan Business Teachers Association Conference and High School Business Case Competition.

A total of 95 students from 16 schools across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba all competed over the weekend at the University of Regina and Campion.

To go along with the School of the Year win, the SCCHS won themselves 1st Place in the Finance Category, 2nd Place in the Entrepreneurship Category and 4th Place in the Social Category.

The finance team was made up of Eljay Dungca, Griffin Wilson, and Jewel Jacobson, while the entrepreneurship team was made up of Sara Cronan, Kennedi Johnston, and Katherine Aguirre.

Eljay Dungca, who competed in her third case competition, said that the difference this year, compared to previous, was that they had three people thinking differently.

"We didn't really have as many experienced of members as we did in the past, but I think that fresh vibe that they brought into the team really helped us win," she said. "I think from previous years everyone kind of thought the same."

"We were taught how to do a case; we were taught how to think of doing a case. This year it was kind of different people trying just to do a case, so I think that brought in a lot of new ideas and really changed the whole case up."

Sara Cronan, who competed in her first case competition, but had attended as a volunteer before, said that the 'fresh vibe' definitely was something that made a difference.

"The event went really well for us, and we especially liked our team this year because we did have a lot of new team members and it was a good experience for them," she said. "It was more of a fresh team, and it was more of us all wanting to learn. We were there to learn, and it wasn't a competition for us."

Dungca competed in her final competition as she is set to graduate this year, and said she learned a lot of real-life skills from her time practicing and competing in the case competitions.

"I did finance, and it was a lot of real-life examples. Like 56 per cent of people in Saskatchewan is $200 away from bankruptcy. A lot of people actually need to learn how to create a budget and how to spend their money wisely, so I think finance is really applicable," she said. "The fact that we've slowly grown over the past year and the fact that both the entrepreneurship and finance team placed means that we are getting to that level that we want to." 

Cronan, who also competed in her last competition, said it's great to be a part of a school and a business club that can be a leader for other schools.

"We are becoming a school that other schools can look up to," she said. "We are kind of being influential in that sense, so it's nice to be in that position to kind of influence other schools."

All of the students were a part of the high school's Accounting 30 class and both Cronan and Dungca added that what they learned in the class transferred over to the case competition and helped them succeed.