The past weekend was an eventful one for members of Portage Northern’s DECA chapter. DECA, which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, is an organization which promotes and encourages the development of business and leadership skills through academic conferences and competitions. Over the weekend of March 5-7, Portage Northern DECA members traveled to Detroit, Michigan for the State Career Development Conference (SCDC) which took place at the TCF center in downtown Detroit.

    Forty five students went on this trip after competing and winning in the district level competition on December 19, 2019. Over the course of the weekend, students prepared for their events and were able to interact with business students from schools all over Michigan.

    Each competitor had two events, each a roleplay of a different business situation based on the category they’re participating in. The students were judged on their two roleplays and their written exam score, and were given awards at the end of the weekend. The following students received medals for their roleplays, exam scores, were finalists, or will be representing the state of Michigan and Portage Northern High School in the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Nashville Tennessee April 29 – May 2. 

Recognition for top scores:

Akshay Chalasani – top ten overall- Automotive Technology

Grace Torrence – 1st place roleplay #1, 1st place role play #2, top ten overall – Business Services

Snigda Narisetty –top ten overall – Business Services

Abigayle Kelly – top test score, top ten overall – Entrepreneurship

James Hatfield – top ten overall – Hotel and Lodging

Zach Lewis – 1st place roleplay #1, top ten overall – Hotel and Lodging

Kennedi Stinnette – 1st place roleplay #2 – Buying and Merchandising team

Jordan Funk – 1st place roleplay #2 – Buying and Merchandising team

Qualified to compete in the International Conference

Drew Hovestadt – Aspire

Vikas Tatineni – Aspire

Jai Bollampally – Top 5 – State qualifier – Entrepreneurship

Alex Thompson – 1st place role play 1, top 6- state qualifier – Human Resource Management

The trip was not only successful in terms of awards but also in terms of behavior and organization. “For me it is not about how well the students performed on a test or role play, it is seeing their character. I watched them be kind, helpful and supportive of each other…” says chapter advisor and business teacher, Jeanine Patterson. “I witnessed them making good decisions, being respectful and adhering to all the rules. I was filled with pride as our chapter navigated a big city while keeping intact all the values we have instilled in them at Portage Northern.”