DECA is an organization that provides curriculum and holds competitions for Marketing and Hospitality and Tourism students. DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America. The competition consists of a 100-question exam and a case study based on their chosen marketing or hospitality and tourism category. This year, state competitions were February 11-13 in Portland, in which Barlow had 21 students participating, eight of whom are new this year. If students place in the state competition, they will immediately move on to international competition. The 21 students have previously taken their 100-question exam, and traveled to Portland for state, where they took two case studies. Case studies give a real business example of an issue, and then let the participant use their creativity to come up with one or multiple solutions in 10 minutes. They are then given another 10 minutes to present their solution to a business professional. They are also given the opportunity to do a partner competition. Last year, the duo Kyle Klinger and Micah Perry made it to the international competition by getting 2nd in state, and placed 4th for their case study at the international competition, but did not place overall. Barlow’s student store was also gold-certified. DECA is a great opportunity for students because students can take what they have learned in class and immediately and effectively use it in the real world instead of having to wait until they graduate. This year, returning participants are hoping to outdo themselves, while new participants are excited to join the competition.
5 students got awards for the 2024 Oregon State competition and will be heading to Anaheim, California for the international competition on April 27-30. Nardine Ghattas won second place in First Role Play, in the category Personal Finance Literacy. Madison Sorenson also won second place in First Role Play, her category being Sports and Entertainment Marketing. For duos, Madison Sorenson teamed up with Madison Hodge and won third place overall in Career Development. Aiden Craft and Jenna Hilsenteger also teamed up and won seventh place overall in the School-Based Enterprise category. Because of Jenna and Aiden, The Den has now gotten a gold-level recertification from DECA.
