Nine MERHS Students Qualify for DECA International Finals

3400 students competed for DECA State awards and international qualification

M-E Regional High School DECA chapter members earned the organization’s highest honors at DECA State Career Development Conference held at the Hynes Auditorium, February 27 - 29.  Forty-two students qualified to participate at state level and took rigorous exams and solved timed, novel business case role plays, delivered case solutions to industry professionals in a timed format.  The scores for the exams and role plays were combined with the top five advancing to the DECA International Competition Finals in Nashville TN, April 29-May2, 2020 where more than 20,000 students from eight countries converge to compete for the top three places.

Students receiving recognition at the state level included those winning “International Qualifiers”: Isabella DiPasquale, 1^st Place; Amelia Laino 2^nd Place; Alexandra Rouillard 2^nd Place; Anton Kozyrev, 2^nd Place; Aidan Cunningham 4^th Place; Leilani Brown 4^th Place; Dasa Hase; 4^th Place; Madison Lawler, 4^th Place; Lynn Benali 5^th Place. Those who took “Top Ten”: Catherine Garlitz, Jessie Miller and Stephanie Pratt.  Finally, those recognized for “Exams”: Kat Steck, 3^rd; Emma Wonson, 3^rd and Katherine Kuhl 2^nd_.

The DECA program is a competitive interscholastic program designed to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.  DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition.  During the school year, approximately 120,000 of DECA’s 225,000 student members take part in the organization’s competitive events program, allowing them to compete for local and regional titles.  The competitions are designed to simulate real-life business scenarios and test students’ academic understanding and skills development. The top state and provincial winners put their talents to the test during the program’s final round of competition in Atlanta.  The DECA International Career Development Conference is the pinnacle of competition where nearly 20,000 students vie for international honors.  Over $500,000 in scholarships and awards are presented to students and teachers for their achievements.  In addition to career-based competition, DECA members engaged in leadership academies and networking opportunities with over 60 internationally recognized businesses.