Early Wednesday, Jan. 14, the Highland Park DECA team left the High School to go to the annual DECA Area Competition at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The competition aims to model different business scenarios with role plays. Notably, top performers in each event are given the opportunity to go to State.
As a result, the competitions are quite competitive due to the limited opportunities to advance. After the first year of DECA, students have the chance to participate in events outside of the Principles events, which are reserved for first-year members. While this better personalizes the experience for DECA members, it also makes it harder to get to State.
“While I love being able to choose an event that serves my interests, it is a lot more difficult to get to State than it was my Freshman year,” third year DECA member Chase Sperling said.
Still, members seem to prefer the chance to have new experiences–even at the cost of not going to state.
“Even though I did not go to state this year, I had a lot more fun doing an event with a friend rather than alone,” second year member, Adrian Winer, who participated in a partner event, said.
Partner events are one of the most popular events DECA offers, and for many people is one of their favorite parts of DECA. It also makes it easier for people to excel at what they are good at while delegating other tasks to their partners.
“Max (Stevens) and I do a great job complementing each other’s strengths,” second-year member Ethan Horwich said. “I think it was a key factor in us placing first in our event.”
Nevertheless, placing high enough to get sent to state is very challenging. Highland Park defended their legacy at the competition, with 11 students placing first overall, 9 students placing second overall, and 9 students placing third overall in their respective categories. Even more impressive, the team is sending 55 students to state!