Over the past few weeks, the DECA team has taken home 23 top three finishes over two competitions.

Many students are wanting to pursue business careers, whether it be in finances, marketing, engineering, or other fields. To better prepare for their futures in business, students compete in DECA.

DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) is an organization devoted to preparing high school students around the world in marketing, finance, and other fields of business. Students participating are judged by teachers and administrators for regional competitions and are judged by experts who work in their respective fields during state and national competitions.

Led by Chris Thompson and Cindy O’Brien, team sponsors, the team competed on Nov. 8 at Leavenworth. They fared well, having eight overall medalists as of Nov. 10, but some of the awards have not been handed out yet. These medalists are highlighted by first place finishes by Alanna Fisher, senior, Morgan Kern, Peyton Fair, and Olivia Miller, sophomores.

The team also recently went to Blue Valley Northwest to compete in the Eastern Regional Competition on Nov. 2. The team earned 15 awards for finishing in the top three for their respective categories, including two first place finishes by the team of Kirsten Jackson and Emily Cords, juniors. Cords, O’Brien noted, is among the team’s most improved competitors from last year.

The DECA team specifically excelled in the Role Play category, garnering six top three awards in that category during the Nov. 2 competition at Blue Valley Northwest. “My partner and I both do extemp in forensics so we’re good at answering questions without hesitation,” Miller said.

The team will compete next in January, though the official date has not yet been determined. O’Brien said that the team should start practicing more and taking practice tests to improve and prepare for this competition. Miller concurred, saying that she could “definitely improve in the testing portion of the competition.”