After a long time away from Deca competitions our competitors come back strong, positive, and ready to withhold some new experiences. Our staff here at Olathe South Mrs. Bell has a lot of positive compliments and advice for new and old competitors.
With being busy teaching students our staff Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Borger, and Mrs. Wichhart is doing an amazing job working on making the ultimate Deca experience for all those who want to join.
“We want everyone I’ve been trying to recruit [dedicated students] here all year to join DECA. We want students that are willing to invest in themselves, whether that be they just need some more experience in public speaking, or need some more experience in strategizing and coming up with a concept that they’re able to pitch to someone, if they need experience with job interview skills.” Staff K. Bell said.
Deca not only helps those who have no clue what they might do in the future but helps prepare them for certain situations. As skills can help you accomplish and prepare you too.
“Networking skills, meeting new people, interviewing skills, because with your role plays, you’re shaking someone’s hand, talking to someone you’ve never met before about something you probably don’t know much about.” Junior Everett Wood remarks.
Deca events are short but they can also be long depending on if you partner up with a friend. It’s said that working with a partner you get 20 minutes before presenting your ideas and 10 if you’re working alone, just imagine how many events there are to make different scenarios!
“If you are interested in deca, if you’re interested in business, I would look into the different events you could do. [The] DECA website has all [the] events [listed]. There’s a lot of different competitions within DECA. You could do partnerships with DECA. There’s a lot of different options.” Sophomore William Henry said.
Planning on having something challenging to do the Deca role plays are said to be hard since they are all different, even for different events. Deca helps those who are in an academy in need of ehours.
“I did DECA first, because I had to for the Academy. And now I really just do it for Ehours. Usually I go with my friends [since its] more fun that way.” Junior Brody Randall said.
Ehours are not only something academy students do for Deca. They are using the opportunity of the competition to make new friends and using your in class knowledge outside of school is a big opportunity for all.
“I enjoy applying what I’ve learned in the classroom through the academy and applying it in competitions. And I enjoy doing it with my friends. I like to do a team competition with Beatriz, which is really fun. And then it’s also just a nice way to do something outside of school with a nice group.” Junior Anya Maheshqari said.
Working together with a friend or classmate can make things a little bit easier especially if you’re in a place where you don’t know where anything is. Some things that these students do before arriving is studying with a friend and connecting with other students that are on the bus with them and creating a group.
“I expect to have my schedule ready beforehand and just be able to look around and see where I need to go so that I know whenever it’s time for me to go into those rooms, I know exactly where they are. And then I’ll just go in to do my role play or my test, or sometimes vice versa. And then after, I look forward to just talking to people from different schools.” Junior Beatriz Miranda said.
When competing against other schools they are keeping it respectful by talking to them and doing what is asked of them from their advisors when they are somewhere else working and keeping everyone and everything in order since the teachers that brought them there aren’t always around.
“I’m usually in a specific role at a competition, so whether that be I’m in the tabulation room or helping to run like the role play room, or running the testing center, or being the team mom, so to speak, like a home base for kids.” Staff K. Bell said.
Not only are they home base for lost students but at the end of the competition our advisor K. Bell says. “You know we love winning!”
