Andy Close
HERSHEY, Pa. – Warren County Career Center students took to Hershey for the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) state competition on Feb. 16-18 and came away with plenty of accolades, as well as a great experience.
Macey Eyler led the way with a sixth-place overall, including three medals in the mini awards ceremony, narrowly missing out on a trip to nationals (the top four advance).
“I am very thankful for Mr. (Robert) Smith and Mrs. (Cathie) Cummings for introducing me to DECA because of all the opportunities I have got because of it,” Eyler said. “I started in DECA not knowing anything about marketing but over the past three years, I have obtained so much marketing and business knowledge, thanks to my teacher’s guidance and support. One of my favorite parts of DECA is getting the business scenarios only ten short minutes before I have to present my ideas in front of a judge. I only have a short amount of time to create solutions for the problems I am given, and it gives me a chance to be creative and think on the spot.
“I have been to the state competition twice now and it’s a very fun learning experience. This year I am very grateful to have been called to the stage for the top six competitors. Placing sixth for me is a huge accomplishment because I study autobody collision at the Career Center, not marketing. Mr. Smith and I have studied and discussed business and marketing for countless hours in the past three years and I am very proud to have made it this far.”
Students were given a 100-question multiple-choice test, as well as two role plays for individual events and one role play for team events. Students are given a scenario to a real-world situation in their marketing or business event and have to find a solution and present their solution to a judge.
Students competing from the Warren County Career Center were as follows:
Macey Eyler – Automotive Services Marketing – 3 Medals in the Mini Awards Ceremony – 6th Place Overall
Mitchell Rossman – Hotel and Lodging Management – 3 Medals in the Mini Awards Ceremony
Kendra Chase and Paige Dexter – Entrepreneurship TEAM – 2 Medals in the Mini Awards Ceremony
Peyton Gazdak – Restaurant and Food Service Management – 2 Medals in the Mini Awards Ceremony
Christian Green – Marketing Communications – 2 Medals in the Mini Awards Ceremony
Sarah Tome – Apparel and Accessories Marketing – 2 Medals in the Mini Awards Ceremony
Sarah also placed 2nd in the Modeling Contest. She designed her own outfit for the contest.
Kaylee Lundmark – Travel and Tourism – 1 Medal in the Mini Awards Ceremony
Jacey Reagle – Entrepreneurship – 1 Medal in the Mini Awards Ceremony
Medals in the Mini Awards are given for top test scores and role-plays. Mini Awards are separated into Career and Technical Schools and High Schools.
“We were so grateful for the support in going down,” said Cummings, WCCC’s DECA Advisor.
She noted that there is so much more than just the competition itself, with students getting to participate in workshops and listen to guest speakers from all realms of the business and marketing industry.
In addition, Tome got to compete in the DECA fashion show and competed in the modeling contest in which she designed her own costume, with 20 other competitors.
“She did that in addition to everything else she did, which was a great experience for her,” Cummings added.
Also, Rossman got to serve as the voting delegate for District 1, which Cummings noted was a great experience for him as well.
Cummings also wished to thank Michelle Betts from Betts Industries and Dave Sherman from the Warren County Visitors Bureau for their time in serving as practice role-play judges to help the students prepare for states.
“We really appreciate the time and expertise that Michelle and Dave gave to our students to help them prepare for the state competition,” she said.
