It’s that time of the year again when Parkway South attends the national DECA competition.

DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America.  DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.  

Parkway South has been attending the DECA Competition since 1976 when the school first opened to the public.  

The district DECA Competition is hosted at Chesterfield Mall, the state competition is at the Lake of the Ozarks for those students who advance to state, and this year nationals is being held in Nashville, Tennessee on April 23rd-26th.

At the end of the competition those who placed received a trophy for the success.   This year South had 50 competitors at the district level. Of those 50, 27 students qualified for state.

“Students who attend competition are usually Marketing I and Marketing II students. However, any student who takes a course with Ms. Miller or Mr. Bock is eligible for DECA membership and can attend competition,” said Marketing teacher Lindsay Miller.

Students have ten minutes to prepare their ideas for a judge and ten minutes to present their pitch. The team decisions making events are similar except that they are completed  in teams of two. Team Research Events are completed by Marketing II students.

These projects can include subjects such as Community Service Projects, Sports and Entertainment Marketing and Advertising Campaigns.

Marketing II students spend most of first semester preparing their projects and presentations for this competition.

There are many categories that students can choose from to compete at the competition.  

Some of the categories include Team Research Project Events (performed by Marketing II students)  with smaller categories underneath the larger events which are Community Service, Innovating Planning, Advertising Campaigning, Fashion Promotion, Sports and Entertainment Promotion Plan, and Business Operations Research.  At the end of the competition those who placed received a trophy for the success.  

Another category is the Team  Decision Making event.  In this event a group of two students perform a pitch to a panel of judges.  The smaller categories that students get to choose from are Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making, Market Communications Team Decision Making, Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making, Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making, Financial Services Team Decision Making, and Hospitality Services Team Decision Making.  

Senior Madeline Muehlemann, competed in the district competition on February 10.  

“I prepared for the competition by taking practice tests with the help of my Marketing teacher, Ms. Miller,” said Muehlmann

There are many types of events. Individual Role Plays, Team Decision Making and Team Research Events. Individual Role Plays include different subject matter such as Sports and Entertainment Marketing or Food Service Marketing. Students are given two role play at the competition.

“My partner was Reema Awad [senior], and we competed in the category of Business Law and Ethics,” Muehlmann said.

There are many ways that students can prepare for the competition.  

“DECA provides practice role play events on their website, which we compete in class. Students also take practice tests,” Miller said. “Being able to clearly communicate with a judge and make a good impression is very important and something that students become more comfortable with as they practice.” she concluded
At the end of the competition those who placed received a trophy for the success.   This year South had 50 competitors at the district level. Of those 50, 27 students qualified for state.