Out of all the clubs at Francis Howell Central, DECA seems to be the most prominent.  FHC seems to have an overload of DECA but few outside of the organization know what it actually is.  Of course there is the simple explanation of “Oh it’s just a business club” but what are the competitions they go to and why do they sell cookies?  DECA was created to help teach kids how to be in the business world.  The organization can be even looked on as a good guiding experience for when a student actually makes it into the cutthroat world of business.  Senior Austin Derbak is a model DECA member who knows the value of the experience.  

“DECA prepares you for jobs and for marketing.  It also helps me with interviewing for jobs and marketing myself for those jobs,” Derbak said.

DECA’s reputation seems to do the organization justice.  Last year, senior Rachel Emery, a junior then, took part in the Deca competitions, making it through the Districts competition to State and eventually all the way to Nationals in Kansas City, Missouri.  

“Going to nationals was so fun.  There were people from all over, places like Puerto Rico, Guam, China.  It was kind of humbling because I am the only person from my school so I really had to branch out and meet new people it was so much fun.  It’s definitely made me more competitive for this year and it definitely opened my eyes to all the things that DECA offers, such as scholarships,” Emery said

Outside of Emery, FHC Deca has produced many other successful students and competitors. The connections that students could make in the organization are very important as evidenced in how DECA is nationally recognized.  It seems that the success and experience Deca can provide could be a good factor a student might want to have according to junior London Rodgers.

Rodgers said, “DECA provides good experience and you gain a lot of confidence the more you practice and the more you compete.”

Speaking of competitions what are they and why does the organization have them?  Students have always heard of them and how DECA members take a day to dress up and get out of school but there isn’t really any explicit explanation except from a DECA member themselves.

“Someone can pick different divisions they want to compete in. Someone can compete in a category that interests them and it gives them a good basis of if they would enjoy doing what that category of business offers.  It just gives you a lot of confidence going in,” Rodgers said.

The competitions seem to be an integral part of what the club is about.  DECA competitions seem to give its members quality business experience and can relatively simulate what competition may be like as members begin a job search.  But it still can be confusing of what makes up the DECA competitions.

“There is marketing management and there’s sales management and it can vary from food to retail and sales.  There is basically anything you can think of.  A lot of the competitions are role plays which you are to assume a position of, let’s say a sales manager of a restaurant, and you have to explain what you are trying to sell to the customers and why you have the best products,” Rogers goes on to say.

Altogether, all a student needs to access this opportunity is sign up for at least a Marketing 1 class.  It seems so simple yet many end up missing out.  

“The club isn’t as exclusive as it seems.  All you need to do to get in is sign a form, pay a fee, and take a marketing class.  It really isn’t hard at all and we really want to have anybody interested.  Some kids don’t know what they’re missing,” Derbak said.