NRHS DECA Members Medal In Business Competition

Eight members of New Rochelle High School’s DECA Club participated in the DECA Region 3 Competition at Rockland County Community College earlier this month, picking up a first-place medal and three third places. 

DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) is an international organization for high school and college students, offering enriching educational programs and resources to enhance learning and help them explore various industries and career paths. 

The high school’s chapter of DECA is new this year, and currently has about 20 participants, most of whom are taking business classes, although it is open to anyone in the school. 

Students competed either as a team or as individuals and faced competition from 15 other high schools. The event involves both a written test and an interactive component, with a real-world-role-play scenario with an industry professional serving as a judge. Events are classified by industry and career cluster and directly contribute to students being college and career ready when they graduate from high school.  

NRHS’s DECA advisor, Gary Weed, who teaches business law, said he was thrilled with this first outing for his students. “This is what we think of when we talk about cooperative and project-based learning — bringing real-world experiences to our students. I can’t think of any better way to do it than what DECA is offering as a program.” 

Chapter president senior Kevin Bates, who was on the winning team in the marketing division with senior Alex Mohammed, was clearly inspired by his experience at the competition. “Never doubt your abilities, although you may not have experienced something before doesn’t mean you won’t be able to prevail!” 

Angela Valencia, a NRHS junior, appreciated meeting and interacting with other students in the region. “Overall, it was a great experience,” she said.  

Manahel Shuja, also a junior, found the experience, “Very eye opening. I was able to step into a real-life situation and it was fun and grew my interest in business.” 

“Participating in the competition was a great experience that I was happy to have been a part of,” said junior Nickayla Haughton. “I was nervous at times but overall, I feel I learned a lot about the world of work and what business is all about.”

NRHS students who competed and their respective categories and placing were: Seniors Kevin Bates, Alex Mohammed (Team – Marketing Management, 1st place); seniors Fernando Lira and Renato Coelho (Team – Financial Services, 3rd Place); senior Alex Ciriaco (Individual – Principles of Management, 3rd Place); junior Angela Valencia (Individual – Principles of Marketing, 3rd place); Juniors Nickayla Haughton (Individual – Principles of Hospitality & Tourism, HM) and Manahel Shuja (Individual – Human Resource Management, HM).

To learn more about the high school’s DECA Club contact gweed@nredlearn.org or visit: https://issuu.com/decainc/docs/deca-2022-hs-guide?fr=sNGM4NDUxNzA3NDk