Hartland Patch Whiz Kids of the Week — Hartland High School DECA Finalists

From revving up their own business ideas like a company that refurbishes and resells motorcycles to raising thousands of dollars to aid the community, Hartland High School’s DECA program is taking its show on the road to the biggest event of the year.

A group of about 20 students will be leaving for Orlando, FL, on Thursday to compete in the international competition that tests marketing, management and entrepreneurial savvy. It runs through Monday.

The success is nothing new for the Eagles, who have the largest program in the state with more than 300 students and have been routinely qualifying more than 50 for the state finals and 20-30 for the international competition of DECA, which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America.

"It's just a great program for the kids."said Jamie Riley, a Hartland High School marketing teacher Jamie Riley who advises the program along with teacher Nathan Oake.

"They are able to apply what they learn in class. It not only helps them here, but I get so many thank yous later on from the kids in college and even after college to help them get their jobs or helped them to be able to present in their classes.

“It just gives them that self-confidence. It's kind of neat — you get the kid who never who anything in their life. All of the sudden, they go to districts and they get a medal around their neck. And they're on top of the world. It changes their whole perspective."

Students involved, like senior Paul Townsend, agree. The 17-year-old Tyrone Township resident qualified by pitching a plan to sell affordable motorcycles to young people by building new ones from old motorcycles and parts. The idea came from working with his dad, a General Motors employee who works on vehicles.

"It's really good,” said Townsend, who has plans to attend Kettering University in the fall for mechanical engineering. “If you can handle this, you can handle anything else, interviewing for jobs, it really helps out.”

Juniors Kayla Hinkle, 16, of Hartland, and Kaileigh Orr, 16, of Brighton Township, qualified by teaming up to organize the chapters community service projects this year.

"It was good because we weren't just sitting in the classroom writing a paper,” said Hinkle. “We were going out in the community.”

That involvement included organizing a day of caring in October where 40 chapter members volunteered at area charities such as LACASA and Meals on Wheels, holding a Bowl-a-thon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association that raised nearly $4,000 in February and helping a needy Hartland family during the winter holidays.

"It was all so touching because we didn't know who it was but we knew it was someone in our school,” Hinkle said of the adopt-a-family program. “It was just really personal so when we presented it we didn't need our note cards. We knew what we were talking about. We knew everything.”

Hartland International Qualifiers

Project

Chris McAllister and Alex Halonen

Stock market game

Craig Stoddard, Courtney Meyer, Ryan Parker and Ashley Chalut

Sports marketing research event

Ida Koivuniemi, Emma Winn and Kelly Holda

International business plan

Kaileigh Orr and Kayla Hinkle

Community service project

Paul Townsend

Entrepreneurship business plan

Blair Pellatt

Business services marketing

James Saaristo and Ben Knight

Financial analysis

Stephen Greutman and Buck Short

Travel and tourism marketing

Olivia Rammage, Brandon Depoy and Jessica Stark

School-based enterprise project on the Hartland student-run store