AHS DECA Students Compete in Career Development Conference

From March 3 to 6 the State Career Development Conference was held at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Over 2,500 high school marketing students from all over Wisconsin came to compete. Twenty eight out of the 37 Arrowhead students who competed are moving on to the International Career Development Conference, in Orlando, Florida on April 27-30, 2019.

According to https://www.arrowheadschools.org/activities/deca.cfm, “DECA is a student organization of marketing and entrepreneurship students. It is a basic component of a Marketing Education program, which supports and enhances, related school based and work based learning. DECA provides students with skills and knowledge to succeed in the new global economy. DECA is a local, state and national organization of goal-oriented youth with career interests in marketing, management and entrepreneurship.”

AHS qualifiers spent three days in competition to prove how well they can take what they’ve learned about marketing, management and entrepreneurship and apply it to real-world business situations.

Students were able to receive awards including the Outstanding Community Service award, Trick or Can, Community Service Week, Polar Plunge, 100+ Hours Award, General Charity Contributor Award and the Top Make A Wish award in the state for most contributions to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Steve Melzer, the DECA Advisor, says, “Students applied everything they have learned through their Marketing classes and DECA events in role plays, comprehensive exams, and projects.”

Melzer says, “AHS DECA qualifiers spent three days in intense competition to prove just how well they can take what they’ve learned about marketing, management and entrepreneurship and apply it to real-world business situations. In written reports, exams, business presentations, role-plays and computer simulations, these teenagers diagnosed business problems and offer realistic, workable solutions.”

AHS earned the Top Community Service and Marketing awards. This qualified 28 of the students for the ICDC. The students who qualified are sophomore, Logan Gehring; sophomore, Makenna Melzer; sophomore, Andrew Fickel; sophomore, Grace Dai; junior, Emma Reinhart; freshman, Tierney Ordway; junior, Evangelina Vayts; senior, Jalen Webster; sophomore, Saniya Saluja; sophomore, Ashley Knicker; sophomore, Addison Burkhart; freshman, Anvita Bansal; sophomore, Alexa Sievert; senior, Abigail Fickel; senior, Della Gehring;  sophomore, Jack Sullivan; senior, Emma Hofman; junior, Ruthie Lin; junior, Amelia Carey; sophomore, Brady Moll; junior, Taylor Wnuk; junior, Lauren Treiber; senior, Natalie Purko; senior, Jonathan Witter; senior, Celia Panther; junior, Isabella Krug-Wagner; junior, Chloe Seltz; freshman, Kyle Staus; and senior, Ella Tschurwald.

Abigail Fickel, a senior and AHS DECA member, says, “We are hoping to have another excellent competition at Internationals in Orlando, from April 27-31. Hopefully, some of our competitors advance onto finals!”