TJ’s DECA members compete at the annual state-wide competition among many other Colorado schools.
TJ DECA State Qualifiers at the Broadmoor Hotel. photo by Danny Showers
On February 20th, 27 of TJ’s DECA members headed down to the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs for a weekend of competition and fun.
The State Conference celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. The Broadmoor Hotel has hosted the State DECA Conference for the last 56 years. In 2010, approximately 2,200 students from all over Colorado gathered to compete for the upcoming national competition in Kentucky.
The competition, similar to the districts, consists primarily of a test and two role plays that will create a cumulative score for the student. If this score is high enough the students will then move on to the final round of competition in which they will complete in another role play. The final round will either make or break the DECA member’s chances of making it to Nationals.
For TJ DECA, the weekend began with a night at the Air Force Academy’s bowling alley. The students were able to play up to three games and purchase an array of snacks including pizza and cheese fries. After the night of relaxed fun it was lights out by 10:30 to prepare for Sunday’s main event – the test. TJ’s group was escorted to Colorado Springs by the two advisors, Danny Showers and Matthew Nicolo. “My favorite part of the conference is watching the students interact in a professional environment and demonstrate maturity, class and character,” said Nicolo.
The test is unique to each event of competition. The test distributed to the Restaurant and Food Service Management competitors is different from the one given to the Apparel and Accessories competitors. The questions range from every day situations to mathematical problems involving revenue or inventory intake.
After the test was completed everyone assembled in the Broadmoor Hall for the opening ceremonies. Each state officer was introduced and congratulated for their successes in DECA. Then a motivational speaker, Steve Hawkins, reminded everyone to treat their peers with respect and to be original instead of following the crowd and trying to fit in. He spoke inspirationally about becoming and staying leaders in DECA and in life.
The following day brought on the role plays, which are designed to simulate situations in which the DECA competitors have to solve a problem involved in their area of business. This can range from anything to meeting with a manager about an unhappy customer to deciding how much product to buy when starting a business from scratch. Each student participated in two role plays where they are given a 12-minute briefing period and eight minutes to meet with the judges. Each one has specific performance indicators that are used to help the students express and channel their knowledge.
On Monday night the students were allowed to mingle and dance with their peers at the annual gathering. The music and dancing gave them a chance to relax before the early morning mini-award ceremony. It was here that medalists and finalists were recognized. TJ had seven medalists and three finalists (see individual results below).
After the final role plays were finished there was only the final ceremony before the close of the conference. TJ Seniors Tommy Moehlman and Justin Racine placed fourth in their event, Travel and Tourism Team Decision, and they will have the opportunity to attend the DECA International Career Development Conference in April 2010. The ICDC takes places in Louisville Kentucky, and will host more than 14,000 competitors from around the world. “It was a big relief after so many years of being top performers to finally achieve what we have always wanted,” said Racine.
“This was one of our best years in all aspects: performance, behavior and overall representation of Thomas Jefferson High School,” said Nicolo.
The following students were awarded medals in their respective events:
Top Performers (Medalists):
Alex Gustafson – Hotel and Lodging
Tanya Milam – Quick Serve Restaurant
Tino Lamorie – Food Marketing
Colette Hernandez – Apparel and Accessories
Finalists:
Rhea Boyd – Restaurant and Food Service Management
Tommy Moehlman and Justin Racine – Travel and Tourism Team Decision
National Qualifiers (Louisville, KY April 20 – 25, 2010):
Tommy Moehlman and Justin Racine – 4th Place, Travel and Tourism Team Decision
