“SET GO!” This is the cue that all DECA kids wait for before the competition. But have you ever heard of DECA? It is an amazing club at Groves. The name is an acronym standing for Distributive Education Clubs of America. Students get to explore so many areas and prepare for college. They get to learn so much about business, practice their oral skills while meeting people, and compete. People across the whole world compete against each other to win the title of “finalist”, “qualifier”, or “winner”.
Before we get into how it works, let’s see what DECA is.
“It’s a business club for students interested in pursuing a career in any area of business,” Derek Puishes, one of the teachers in charge of DECA, says.
The competitors present role-plays or papers to judges. The roleplay is a presentation in front of a judge. The students are given time to read a situation, come up with potential solutions to a problem, and then present them to a judge. In order to be successful, they have to practice and prepare, and the process is a lot more work than you might think.
When preparing, students succeed the most with practice. Most members practice anywhere from three to five times, but new members prepare extra. The members schedule practices with Mr. Puishes, Miss Haener, or Mr. Benedetto, the staff in charge of the club. The staff will take cases from past competitions and use them as preparation for the students who come to practice. The advisors act as judges and watch closely to give critical feedback so each member is in their best possible position for competition.
The students had a very busy schedule at the state competition that recently took place. On Friday, those students presented their papers. That means they had a 20-page essay and made a PowerPoint Slide Deck to present in front of the judges. The other students, who did roleplays, got to stay in the hotel a little longer before heading to their orientation. There, they were told what time and in what room they would compete the day after. After that busy afternoon, everyone changed and got ready for the Pistons game.
In the morning, students presented at different times and spread out throughout the day. Once they were done, they had some free time.
“We walked around Detroit, went into some stores, and got food. It was so fun and time went by so fast.”, Marta Jimenez Pelay, another DECA member, says. In the afternoon, the whole chapter went to a restaurant with Seaholm’s DECA team, where they enjoyed delicious food. Both teams bonded over food while excitedly debriefing what had happened earlier that day. After that, they went back to Huntington Place for the opening session. It was full of music, lights, speeches, and joy.
The next day was the big day: the awards ceremony. The nerves were up, excitement was spotted everywhere in the room. Names were called up, and so many people clapped. Thousands of people gathered to hear their friends called up as roleplay medalists, test score medalists, overall finalists, and even ICDC qualifiers.
Groves got multiple finalists, including Ronny Le, Gabe Macwilliams, Henry Macwilliams, Myles Rontal, and Michael Taylor. Additionally, two seniors who competed in a team roleplay event qualified for Internationals: Lucilia Kucab and Olivia Parkin, participants in the Hospitality Service category. Another of our students, Marta Jimenez-Pelay, will also compete at internationals in her Restaurant and Food Service Management. In addition, Jillian Lustig and Olivia Handzel will accompany them to present the Groves campaign at the leadership convention.
Internationals are now fast approaching. This year, the competition is in Orlando, Florida. Everyone is excited to see how Internationals will go, we have our fingers crossed for the team! Now, it’s your turn to go! Cheer on your amazing schoolmates, and be ready to sign up for DECA next year!
