TJ’s DECA suits up for state, heading to Colorado Springs to test their skills, competitiveness, and intellectual prowess.
Here are a few of DECA's state competitors who are seniors ready to do their best. Photo by Anna Becker
Every year TJ DECA, an association of marketing and business students, gears up to go against other top DECA competitors in the state. On Saturday February 26th –Tuesday March 1st, the members will be competing in the annual State Leadership Conference held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.
Every participating member will be taking a General Marketing test, along with over 2,600 other students who will be taking on the rigorous exam. “The test is a very large portion of the competition; it is all of the knowledge we have learned over the year into one test,” said DECA President Mitchell Mankoff, who will be returning to the conference for a third time during his high school career.
Every student in DECA declares a subject of study that they then focus on and develop over the years. The most popular subject is Sports Entertainment, with other options such as Food Marketing and Marketing Management. This subject determines an area of concentration and is something on which the students are tested through role-plays at the competition. “The role-plays are something that we tend to do very well with. It gives you the opportunity to assume a role in the business and find a solution to any problems,” said Mankoff, whose subject area is food marketing. The role-play gives the students experiences in finding solutions for real-life problems that businesses face. During a role-play, the student sits in front of two judges and is presented with a business situation in their subject matter. They are then presented with a set of problems; the student must then take on the role of the business owner and offer solutions.
Study nights held at TJ leading up to the conference are dedicated to analyzing old tests to get a better feel for the subjects. “We spent over $1200 on new role-plays and tests to study. Repetition is key in successfully preparing for the competition,” said Business Teacher Matt Nicolo, the Advisor for DECA.
Along with the demanding test and strict role-plays, the competitors are required to attend workshops that are interactive presentations tying into various business subjects. “Last year there was a hypnotist, grabbing people from the crowd and showing us his work,” said Mankoff. There are people from all over running the workshops promoting businesses.
In the last seven years, DECA has qualified nine students for nationals. With the use of real-life scenarios taught in the classroom, Nicolo says he is looking forward to seeing how the students place. “We would like two qualifying nationalists out of every chapter. I hope everyone will take what they learned in the classroom and apply it to state.” said Nicolo.
