Success at DECA SLC

DECA State Leadership Conference 2017

Ashley Manheim, Staff Writer|March 7, 2017

Carolyn Manheim
DECA State Leadership Conference 2017
 On March 3 – March 5, 2017, qualifying DECA members traveled to Virginia Beach to compete in the DECA State Leadership Conference (SLC). Participating students include: Andrew Stanfield, Katherine Wroblewski, Tyler Schrimpsher, Devin McCombs, Jason Li, Bethany Crisp, Jack Stid, Jay Gonzalez, Venkat Cheekati, Max Turkaly, Finlay Raphael, Maddie McGregor, Sarah Arezo, Andy Hayes, BJ Beckwith, Brent Baltich, and Peti Koppanyi. On the bus ride over to Virginia Beach, Midlo’s finest DECA students, savviest marketers, and future businessmen and women prepared to show off their newly acquired marketing techniques. Tips, advice, and words of encouragement passed between these charismatic students throughout the whole trip. Winners of SLC will travel to California for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), and this amazing opportunity has been the goal for many students since the DECA District Leadership Conference (DLC) at ECPI Technical College in January.

DECA’s dedicated club sponsor, Mrs. Carolyn Manheim, exclaims, “Our students did a great job representing Midlothian High School at the state competition. I couldn’t be more proud of them and of how much they’ve grown and matured as marketing students, and I think it was a great experience that they will carry with them in the years to come.”   Mr. Tim Johnson, Midlo Social Studies teacher, accompanied Mrs. Manheim and her DECA students on the trip. According to Mrs. Manheim, Mr. Johnson was an “amazing chaperone who helped me tremendously. He filled in for my chaperone who could not attend, and without him, the trip might not have been as successful as it was. I am very appreciative for Mr. Johnson’s willingness to go above and beyond and help out others.”

The participating students enjoyed SLC immensely, and those who did not qualify to the next level intend to impress the judges next year. While the competition was an exhilarating experience, the students also spent quality time together and made memories that they will cherish for a long time. Jason Li says, “SLC was an amazing experience for me, and I really got to see what a prominent organization DECA is.  The district competition is much smaller, but at the state competition, you really see how big and impressive DECA is.”

Congratulations to the following students for placing in their event and receiving medals:

Sarah Arezo: 1 role play, Personal Finance Literacy

Katherine Wroblewski: 2 role plays, Apparel and Accesories Marketing

Peti Koppanyi: 1 role play, Hotel & Lodging Management

Andrew Stanfield: 1 role play, Principles of Finance

Devin McCombs: 1 role play, Business Services Marketing

The following students excelled at SLC, and will attend the International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California, in the spring to show off their skills to the country:

Andy Hayes: 3rd place in the entire state of VA, Full-Service Restaraunt Management

Bethany Crisp: 3rd place in the entire state of  VA, Hotel-Lodging Management

Jay Gonzalez: top 10 state finalist, Quick Service Restaraunt Management

Jack Stid:  top 10 state finalist, Personal Finance Literacy

Jason Li: top 10 state finalist, Human Resources Management