Schools
DECA students prepare for international competition
George Marshall and other local schools sending teams to Orlando, Fla.
After winning big at a state-wide event, marketing students at George Marshall and James Madison High Schools are preparing to face international competition.
The teams will compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference to be held April 30 to May 4 in Orlando, Fla.
DECA is a national non-profit organization that fosters student interest in marketing, management and entrepreneurship.
Earlier this month, 65 members of George Marshall’s DECA chapter and 43 students from James Madison’s DECA group competed against more than 2,500 students from around Virginia at the DECA State Leadership Conference.
Students participated in three types of competition: individual role play where they review a marketing situation and prepare a presentation; team-decision making where teams review a case study and prepare for role play; and a written event where teams complete a 30-page paper on a marketing/entrepreneurship project and make a presentation.
Twenty-nine students from George Marshall and 18 students from James Madison qualified at this event to compete at the international conference. Several groups earned first place awards.
“We couldn’t be more proud of our students and how they conducted themselves through the whole process,” said Jen Hendrickson, advisor of George Marshall’s DECA chapter.
Hendrickson noted the significant amount of time that students put into preparing for these events. It’s great to see the hard work pay off, she said.
“It is one of the best feelings to stand back as an advisor and watch them on stage, jump for joy and scream for delight after they win,” Hendrickson said.
Jennifer Gardner, advisor of James Madison’s DECA chapter, said she was “absolutely proud” of her students’ performance at the state competition.
She said the events help students gain valuable skills, such as poise and confidence in giving presentations. “This practice will pay off a lot for students in the future,” she said.
Over the next weeks, the students will hone their skills, revise papers and practice role playing in anticipation of the next level of competition. At the same time, chapters at both schools will be looking to the community to help fund the trip, which could cost as much as $1,000 per student. Both schools are in the process of planning fund raisers to assist with this expense.
Even with the high price tag, Hendrickson said the chance to attend the international conference is priceless for these students.
“This really takes what we look at in the classroom and puts it on a whole other level,” she said. “These activities give our students a great leg up.”
Winners from George Marshall High School
Business Law and Ethics First place overall: Faby Chaillo and Sarah Quattrocki
Marketing Communications First place overall: Cazzie MacDonnell and Sarah Meoni
Internet Marketing Business Place First place: Alyssa Bainbridge and Carrie Zettler
Advertising Campaign First place: Jenny Felter, Christine Greve and Ritika Jain
Entrepreneurship Promotion Plan First place: Yafet Kubrom, Katie MacDowell and Jesse Peterson
Marketing Management Fourth place: Emily Sexton
Principles of Hospitality and Tourism Third place: Becca Toser
Principles of Marketing Ninth place: Dan Dallen
Community Service Project Third place: Yazan Alshawkani, Brendan Fogarty and Kate Pantano
Entrepreneurship Fifth place: Haley Butterfield and Jeta Krasniqi
Internet Marketing Plan Second place: Amreen Dhindsa and Diana Man
Financial Services Second place: Brittany Miller and Chandani Rana
Hospitality and Tourism Third place: Kate Balek and David Dziedzic
Sports and Entertainment Third place: Jocelyn Golden, Kimberly Gollogly and Maggie MacDonnell
