DECA students to compete at state level

Of its 14 members, the NRHEG DECA club is sending 11 competitors to state-level competition from March 10 to 12 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis. 

 

The DECA organization encourages high school participants to build skills related to business and professional settings in categories that emphasize team decision making, personal financial literacy, marketing and sales. 

 

The three-person team of Hallie Schultz, Isabel Stadheim and Levin Kitzer took third in district competition in January to advance to state. Schultz describes the group’s project as having begun with a 10-page document produced by the team summarizing a theoretical fundraising event. With the basic parameters described in the paper, team members were then asked to respond orally to judges’ questions regarding the  “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats” associated with their plan.

 

Tayler Schmidt participates in an individual event in which competitors are presented with a scenario, given 10 minutes to consider a solution, and then spend 10 minutes presenting and explaining the solution. Central to the scoring criteria in her event, she says, is the ability to come across with confidence and personal bearing.

 

All competitors at the district competition also took part in the “job interview” category which is just what it sounds like: Participants were asked to name a job and then took part in a practice interview. Here, too, team members said, the focus was on presenting oneself as being professional and reliable.

 

Team members qualifying for state competition are Chloe Stork, Chloe Riewer, Keira Lenort, Levin Kitzer, Hallie Schultz, Isabel Stadheim, Kyera Eustice, Parker Bunn, and Harbor Cromwell; a number of them are in advancing in more than one category. 

 

“I’m really proud of our group,” commented Schultz, explaining that many of the individuals and teams participants competed against have dedicated daily time to work on the business and professional skills, and on the various documents and plans needed for competition.

 

Other team members stated they enjoy participating in DECA because of the opportunities for networking and sharing ideas. “It’s a fun group of people,” commented Kyera Eustice. “I definitely encourage other people from our school to get involved.”

 

Schultz mentioned that, during district competition in January, it happened that a convention of architectural professionals was occurring in the same hotel. With architecture as her intended career field, she said, it was not only an amazing coincidence, but an excellent opportunity for her to learn more about the field.

 

Said Schmidt, “Yes, we’re there to do our best. But the focus isn’t on the competition, it’s more about the experiences and the chance to grow our own skills.”