The Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) chapters at Jay M. Robinson and Concord high schools hope to send their members to what one of the club advisors called a great educational and professional experience.
The chapters hope to raise money to send their students to 2012 North Carolina DECA Career Development Conference in Greensboro, which will be held March 1-3.
In addition to being able to improve their business and marketing skills, the state competition has opportunities for students to meet business leaders from all over the state, win scholarships, and there are chances to compete at the international competition, said Michael Hicks, business marketing teacher and head DECA advisor at Robinson.
“We have a better chance of winning with the more kids we take,” Hicks said. “We took five last year.”
This year, the chapters hope to send 20-25 students from Robinson and 5-10 from Concord to compete.
With the registration fee, two-night stay at a hotel and money for food, the estimated cost for each student to attend is about $200, Hicks said.
“We had such a great showing at (the regional competition on Jan. 5), and we think we can really compete at (the state conference),” Hicks said. “With the local economy the way it is and parents laid off, it’s going to take help.”
The chapters are hoping that local businesses will help them send these students to the competition.
“This would be a great springboard for (the students) to have a career in business,” Hicks said. “These kids are their future employees. This is an investment in the future.”
Tiffany Shine, a senior at Robinson and member of the DECA chapter there, agreed.
“This generation we have now are the aspiring CEO members,” Shine said. “We want to go into marketing and become top leaders…They’re helping the generation now to be successful in the future.”
Shine was one of the students from the two chapters here who took home awards from the regional competition earlier this month.
She said going to the state conference would be a great opportunity, but Shine added that a lot of members would probably need financial assistance to be able to attend.
“(Going to the state conference) would give me that confidence that I can (use to) go out in the business world and relate to anybody,” Shine said.
She and Hicks said the chapters will discuss fundraising opportunities to also help with the costs of the state conference. The chapters will need to register and pay to attend by the middle of February, Hicks said.
To help the DECA chapters or for more information, email Hicks at michael.hicks@cabarrus.k12.nc.us or email Concord High’s DECA advisor, Liz Poole, at elizabeth.poole@cabarrus.k12.nc.us.
Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152
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