Every year the Fredericktown High School DECA chapter does districts, and this year, everyone who went moves on in the competition! This event is the club’s main priority. They spend the majority of their meetings preparing for the competition against the other schools in their district. Some members can even say that the main reason they participate in this organization to is to compete in districts. The district competition is very important to every member because it is the gateway to the huge state-wide competition!

Nevertheless, the district competition is a unique experience on its own. Members get a day to get away from the burdens of class, and travel to South East Missouri State University to meet up with other schools like Dexter, Sikeston, Cape Girardeau, and Kennett. They get a chance to bond with each other by exploring campus and going out to eat at whatever restaurant they choose. Most importantly, districts give students an opportunity to highlight the talents that they have in the business field.

Michael Akins (12) participated in an accounting applications event, where he sat with a judge and gave a solution to a variety of accounting issues for a mock business. Michael won 1st place in this competition and is now headed to State!

Jackson Smith (11) competed in a business finance series and placed 1st, allowing him to also attend the state competition.

Levi Yang (11) also gets to join these members at State, because he placed 1st in his competition in the business services marketing category.

Sydney Bell (12) and Lizzie Crouch (12) participated in the buying and merchandising team decision-making event. These girls received 3rd place and will also get the opportunity to go to the state competition!

Erika Robbs (11) took part in the hospitality and tourism professional selling event. Her competition looked a little different than the rest of the members because rather than getting a set amount of time to prepare for a role-play situation with a judge, she was given the situation before districts to gather materials and build a phenomenal presentation. Erika placed first in this event and will join the rest of the members at State!

The DECA State Competition will be held in Kansas City, Missouri March 12-14th. This is where Michael, Jackson, Levi, Sydney, Lizzie, and Erika will compete against the twelve other districts in Missouri. They will get the opportunity to sit in on many eye-opening conferences and meet with highly experienced business professionals. FHS wishes the best of luck to these students as they embark on their DECA adventures.