With weeks of preparation under their belts, members of Norwin’s Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) chapter went into the November 29 competition beaming with confidence. Mrs. Shelby Stumpf and the Norwin DECA Club traveled to the Duquesne University Business Center for the DECA district competition, where they had a chance to qualify for the DECA state competition. With the opportunity to win scholarships and awards, succeeding at the DECA district competition was of utmost importance for Norwin’s members.
Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, is a business-focused competition organization that aims to prepare high school and college students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.
“It is a club for students enrolled in our business classes, and we use what students are learning and foster it with competition,” Stumpf said. “Whatever they decide to compete in, it allows them to be able to enhance their communication skills, impromptu speaking skills, interviewing skills, and build self confidence.”
Students of the DECA Club focused on a wide variety of topics, giving them more opportunities to succeed. Once they chose a topic, a 100 question test was administered, and their score on this test factored into their performance at the competition.
“Students were given resources, practice exams, practice role plays,” Stumpf said. “During our meetings, we practiced, and they were able to use those resources on their own outside of the classroom.”
At a DECA competition, students are given a scenario for which they are to form a solution. They then present their solution to a judge. The judge scores the student based on their presentation, creativity, etc.
“After all settles down and the competitors finish, the judges officially place who will move on to the state event,” said DECA member Anthony Olshanski. “1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in the individual events and 1st and 2nd place finishers in the team-decision making category.”
21 Norwin students finished the competition receiving awards in both individual and team events. Those who placed and received a trophy move on to compete in the DECA state competition in Hershey.
“I was super proud of them for their hard work, and I had a sense of accomplishment in what they’re learning in my classroom, they’re utilizing it in a real world scenario,” Stumpf said.
For students that are thinking of getting involved in some of Norwin’s 30+ clubs/activities, Olshanski stands as an example of how trying something new and putting yourself out there can lead to a world of new experiences, friends, and memories.
“My favorite DECA moment was being able to serve as DECA president for the 2022-23 School Year,” Olshanski said. “It was an honor to serve in the role and experiencing all that DECA had in store from a leadership perspective was overall my favorite moment.”
The DECA club has many practical benefits that have and will continue to allow students to achieve their dreams and aspirations.
“They’re able to see what it’s like to interview, communicate, and practice impromptu speaking,” Stumpf said, “which are going to be skills that students need to be able to compete in the real world once they get their degree or certificates or whatever it is that they’re aspiring to do.”
