Two West Albany High School students have qualified for the Future Business Leaders of America National Competition after excelling at the state competition in April.

Junior Nick McAnulty, 17, took second place in computer applications and spreadsheets, and freshman Brennan MacInnes, 14, took third place in accounting.

The top three finishers in each category at state competitions advance to the national competition, to be held in Anaheim, Calif., in late June.

Susan Miller, the FBLA coach and a teacher at West Albany, was very excited for her students.

"I am happy that it went so well," she said. "We were just doing what needed to be done."

Miller said McAnulty and MacInnes were pleased with where they placed, and decided to forgo a trip to the national competition, citing the expense.

At the state competition, McAnulty showed proficiency with Excel by putting together formulas and formatting cells in Microsoft's spreadsheet program.

"This was a lot of fun," said McAnulty, who plans to compete in more FBLA events his senior year. "It is a good feeling of accomplishment."

MacInnes' challenge at state was in the form of an online test on accounting procedures.

"I was surprised when I found out I took third place," he said. "I didn't expect to."

McInnes plans to stay in FBLA for the remainder of his high school career.

FBLA was reinstated at West Albany High School this year after a several-year hiatus, Miller said. She hopes the program will continue, but with looming budget cuts, she fears for its future.

"All these kids are academically sound," Miller said. "They don't get a lot of kudos and deserve them."