DECA team wins big for North Allegheny

An impressive win by the DECA team has North Allegheny students headed to a state competition in February.

North Allegheny stood out at the District 2 DECA Conference at the Community College of Beaver County in December. NA received 64 out of 76 individual awards, including first place awards in 18 of the 19 individual competitive event categories, and 19 out of 24 team awards, including first place awards in seven of the eight team event categories, according to Joanne Sullivan, DECA advisor and a business education teacher at North Allegheny.

In all, 102 NA students qualified at the Beaver County event to compete at the Pennsylvania DECA State Conference in Hershey, Pa., on Feb. 22-24, said Sullivan, who also is president of the Pennsylvania DECA Board of Trustees. In total, 120 NA students will be competing in Hershey.

DECA is a student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. It is formerly known as Distributive Education Clubs of America.

The organization gives students an opportunity to participate in business-oriented competitions at the district, state, and international levels, as well as perform community service and participate in social activities, she said. Students also participate in business operations research events, project management events, or professional selling events.

“From my time in the club, I’ve learned a lot about not just business, but also important skills like teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking,” said Helen Ye, of Franklin Park, a senior and a DECA member.

NA’s DECA team has more than doubled since its inception, growing from 106 members in the 2020-2021 school year, to 254 in 2022-2023, Sullivan said. DECA is open to students grades nine through 12.

“I believe DECA has increased in popularity because NA students are highly competitive, and DECA allows them to showcase their skills and experience success,” Sullivan said.

Cindy Lang, a secondary teacher at NAI, also assists in DECA, Sullivan said.

In January, the team sponsored a pottery pop-up event at Cafe Conmingo in Wexford, raising $859 by selling student-made pottery work. The money is going to the Jared Box project, which makes small toy boxes for patients at hospitals nationwide.

Other activities include writing holiday cards for nursing home residents and a DECA Toy Drive with proceeds also benefiting the Jared Box Project.

“I am honored to work with such a great group of students. DECA members continue to amaze me with their passion as they challenge themselves to be the best they can be. It makes me so proud to see them work hard and achieve their goals,” Sullivan said.

When competing in individual and team events, students take a 100-point exam. Students also have a case problem and role-play their solution with the judge, Sullivan said.

In some competitions, students may only have 10 minutes to put forward a creative solution to a case study, or 15 minutes to make a marketing pitch.

NA has two state officers, Amanda Hulver, senior, who is the state DECA vice president of member development, and William Sun, a junior and District 2 Representative.

NA junior and DECA member Collin Wang will serve as the District 2 Representative for the 2023-2024 school year, Sullivan said. He will be sworn in as the District 2 DECA Representative at the state conference.