TJ’s DECA declares its annual end of the year breakfast yet another success.
Photo courtesy Matt Nicolo.
At Thomas Jefferson, a big attraction to the school is the DECA marketing program that has been a tradition at TJ for forty-one years. With the end of the year comes the annual DECA breakfast, a very professional and classy occasion in which the outgoing officers say farewell, and the new incoming officers are given a big welcome.
On April 13, this annual event was held at the Mount Vernon Country Club located in Golden on Lookout Mountain. With more than seventy-five students in attendance, it promises next year’s DECA program to be just as great as every other year, if not better, as every student was in fine form. DECA sponsor Matt Nicolo always believes the breakfast to be a giant success, as well as a huge weight off his shoulders. “Throughout the year, everyone is stressed out about the state conferences and competitions, and after the breakfast it seems to be that last bridge that needs to be crossed before making our way to the end of the year. The breakfast is a time to take recognition of our current officers, why they have the role in DECA that they do, and to celebrate their accomplishments throughout the year, as well as looking at the incoming officers and showing them what they’re getting into next year.”
This year’s event began with students and parents taking their seats in the festive dining room with Easter eggs filled with goodies on their tables, and then being served breakfast consisting of the classic breakfast cuisine and lots of fresh fruit, and as soon as everyone was finished feasting, Nicolo took the stand with Danny Showers to help accompany this year’s president, Tommy Moehlman, in commemorating the year.
In the front of the dining room sat the current DECA officers including Moehlman, Alex Clark (Vice President), Paige Milstein (Secretary), Paige Wilson (Treasurer), Alex Gustafson (Publicity Representative), Rhea Boyd (Publicity Representative), Colette Hernandez (Chapter Representative), Tino Lamorie (Chapter Representative), Jamee Veasley (School Store Reprenentative), and Mitch Mankoff (Travel Coordinater), many of whom are known throughout TJ as some of the best students in their classes.
There was a special guest in the house that morning as well, as Khalid Al-Shami, a student at Overland High School who is also the Vice President of District 13, was attending the breakfast and was given the honor of speaking to TJ and showing his gratitude towards them. He expressed throughout his speech that he finds TJ to be an amazing representative of what DECA is all about, and that Spartans show the true meaning of a well-run and well-established chapter.
A very entertaining portion of the morning was all thanks to Boyd and Lamorie, as they spent nearly twelve hours putting together the end of the year video, featuring current DECA members sharing some of their thoughts on the year. “We wanted the video to be an overview of the accomplishments of the year and also show the individual efforts that each DECA member puts into the chapter,” Boyd said.
To conclude this year’s breakfast, Moehlman was given the chance to put everyone’s anticipation to rest as he announced who was elected as officers for next year’s DECA chapter. The President will be is Mitch Mankoff, Vice President will be Dylan Jennings, and other officers are Daniela Cardona (Secretary), Hayden Johnson (Treasurer), Sarah Southard (Publicity Director), Robert McMacken (Chapter Representative), April Regas (School Store Representative), John Jones (Plans and Programs), and Christine Vlier (Travel Coordinator). Moehlman was also able to share his words of wisdom with next year’s officers and president, saying that the best way to run a chapter is with four things: “Patience, because everyone has their own ways, and in order to get through you must be patient. Trust; you must trust your fellow students that they will get everything done well. Being open-minded; you have to stay open to opportunities and other ways of doing things, as it will not always be your way. And always, always keep a smile.” And with that, Moehlman hit the gavel one more time, and the breakfast came to an end, leaving the future of DECA in the hands of next years club officers.
