Top awards and scholarships earned by Spartan students and advisors at state DECA competition.
by Vince Crespin
photo courtesy of Matt Nicolo
The Thomas Jefferson DECA chapter had yet another banner year as it traveled to Colorado Springs on February 23-26, in what would be one of their most successful competitions to date.
Thomas Jefferson sent 33 students (60% of District Competitors qualified for state) to the 58th annual competition at the Broadmoor Hotel. The group was a mixture of sophomore through senior students who have been working towards this competition since late November, when they were told they had qualified for state. “For the younger DECA representatives there is no better introduction to these competitions than actually participating in them. They all have to work very hard if they want to be successful. The level of competition is very high in each category, regardless of what year or level you perform at,” said Matt Nicolo, the DECA Advisor at TJ.
Among the many things accomplished by the TJ DECA chapter while in Colorado Springs were four efforts that received awards. Jesse Altum and the Mankoff twins all qualified for the national competition held in Atlanta Georgia on April 18-23. Altum (Automotive Marketing) and Michael Mankoff (Quick Serve Restaurant Management) each took fifth place in their respective categories, while Matt Mankoff (Food Marketing) received third place for his presentation. In addition, Altum is currently finishing up his service as the Colorado Regional Vice-President for District 1 and was recognized at the Grand Awards Ceremony for his services. “The chance to be a Colorado DECA officer and see the hard work I did this year go to such a great organization, became the best prize I could have received in my three years with DECA,” said Altum.
Nicolo also feels Altum has worked hard to get to where he is now “I am very proud of all our students, but especially of Jesse. He started in this program his sophomore year and has been working hard ever since. He has put many hours into learning how to speak professionally, as well as great effort into his presentations and his individual DECA responsibilities,” said Nicolo.
Also at the ceremony, Michael Mankoff received the Jim E. Tierney Memorial Scholarship, for $3,000 that was awarded by the Tierney family. “In my own opinion there was no better student for this honor. It was moving to see Michael receive the award since Jim Tierney was the man responsible for starting DECA at Thomas Jefferson. His family looked proud and happy to give the award to a TJ student. The award was given out on the criteria of GPA, community involvement and DECA involvement, and to me, Michael embodies all of those things,” explains Nicolo.
Michael Mankoff felt honored winning the scholarship “To win such a prestigious scholarship in front of 3,000 people was an awesome yet humbling experience. It really meant a lot to me, winning the award that is a memorial of the man that started DECA at our great school,” said Michael Mankoff.
As for the chapter advisors, Danny Showers and Nicolo, the men who have been advising DECA students at TJ together for the past four years, each received awards. The pair was honored at the concluding ceremony for their job well done over the years with different awards. Showers received the “Friends of DECA” award, which is given to those who have been involved with DECA for an extended period of time and have worked hard for the organization. Nicolo received the Outstanding Chapter Advisor award, for his efforts with the students, and the success of those whom he has helped reach the competitions. “I feel extremely lucky and honored. In my four years at TJ, I have met some extraordinary kids; since I have been here we have had over 200 district qualifiers, more then 100 state qualifiers, and 10 National qualifiers, so that should say something about the type of kids we have. Anytime you get an award for your students performing well it makes you feel proud. I just feel the kids did all the work; I just have fun watching them succeed,” said Nicolo.
Showers has been working very hard for many years trying to receive the “Friend of DECA” award. “It was one of the best things I have received in my life. It is a very prestigious award; I have been trying to win that award for 10 years, since I have been at TJ. I was one of three who received the great award, the only one in the DPS school district,” said Showers
Matt Mankoff feels he has learned a lot from Nicolo and Showers over the years. “Coach Nicolo and Mr. Showers are constantly striving for all of the DECA members to work hard and accomplish their goals. They are great teachers because of how much they care for every student in this program, and they truly deserved to win their respective awards,” he said.
Even with this year’s success, Nicolo feels there is always room for improvement, and he says that next year’s group has a chance to be just as successful. “Next year we have a great group of seniors coming up looking for leadership roles, and we will have juniors looking to come up in the DECA world, that have gained some valuable experience this year. It all just depends on how hard they will be willing to work, but as always Mr. Showers and I will be looking forward to it and will be ready to guide them with whatever information they need,” said Nicolo.
