On January 8th, the Ward Melville DECA team joined hundreds of high school students at Suffolk County Community College to compete in DECA regionals.

DECA, formally known as the Distributive Education Clubs of America, is a non-profit organization with members across the world. Its competitions, held at the regional, state and international levels, primarily focus on business and related areas of study. At DECA conferences, students compete in events that test their knowledge of business principles. 

Alongside the exams, many events have a role-play or presentation component that students prepare for. “DECA prepares emerging student leaders and entrepreneurs for real-world applications in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe,” said Ms. Littman, advisor of Ward Melville’s DECA chapter. “These foundation skills are essential building blocks for successful career paths in our student’s futures.”

At Wednesday’s regionals, Ward Melville students competed in a total of 28 team and individual events alongside other high school students across Suffolk County. With time as the tiebreaker, competitors balanced accurate answers alongside rapid pacing. 

The hard work of Ward Melville’s DECA competitors paid off. During the awards ceremony, students and advisors alike celebrated as Ward Melville competitors won plaques for their performance. In total, the team placed in 19 events, and 28 students qualified for the state conference. “I am so very proud of our student’s accomplishments and dedication to business education. Our DECA chapter works extremely hard and are excellent competitors at every level of competition,” said Ms. Littman.

As Ward Melville celebrates the DECA team’s victories, the students prepare for the fast-approaching state competition with anticipation. “I’ve been doing ‘Word of the Day’ during DECA meetings since the beginning of the year to teach some of the concepts that will come up on the state competition exams,” said DECA co-president Jade Eggleston. The competition, which determines whether students qualify for ICDC, DECA’s international conference, will take place in Rochester on February 26-28.