Cranford High School DECA Excels at Regional Conference

On January 5, 2017, Cranford High School sent 88 students to the NJ DECA Regional Conference at Kean University to competing against students from 22 other high schools across Central New Jersey, including Warren Hills High School, Highland Park High School, and Sayreville War Memorial High School and Monroe High School.

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. DECA is a program for business-minded students looking to find real world applications for what they learn in their business classes. At the conference, students are presented with business scenarios, given 10 minutes to creatively solve the problem, and another ten minutes to role play the solution before a judge. In addition to the role play, all DECA members are required to take a written test in their chosen business area.

Thirty five CHS students placed among the top 10 in their respective events at the regionals competition, qualifying them to attend the NJ DECA State Career Development Conference in Atlantic City on February 21-23, 2017. Students must place among the top 3 in their event at the State Conference to qualify for the DECA International Career Conference, which will be held in Anaheim, California this year in late April.

“Our students always put forth an incredible amount of effort, and this year’s group is no exception,” Donna Cathcart, one of the club’s advisors, commented in regard to her students. “We are so proud of each of our students; they presented themselves professionally and with poise.”

Cindy Keyasko, also an advisor, adds, “Given the highly competitive nature of our group, we have already began preparing for the competition, and are hoping to send all 35 students to California for nationals!”

Below is a list of the students who qualified for and will be attending the NJ State Conference in February:

Students Who Placed Top 3 in Their Event:
Kelly Drake- 1st place, Food Marketing Series
Grace Chen- 1st place, Quick Serve Marketing
Spencer Pascal- 1st place, Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Patrick Hoey and Owen McDermott- 1st place, Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making
Ben Bacall- 2nd place, Marketing Communications Series
Kevin Schwartz- 2nd place, Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Michael DiFabrizio and James Nichnadowicz- 2nd place, Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making
Olivia Klimko- 2nd place, Business Finance Services
Rebecca Piassek- 2nd place, Food Marketing Series
Emma Lore- 3rd place, Apparel and Accessories
Shannon Szefinski and Karina Vizzoni- 3rd place, Hospitality Services Marketing Team Event
Kerry Pollock- 3rd place, Principles of Business Management
Matthew Fonseca and Jeremy Hunt- 3rd place, Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making

Other Qualifiers:
Michael Pettesch- Business Finance Services
Maria Venturo and Brittany Welsh- Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making
Fallon Morrison- Business Services Marketing
Kaitlyn Taylor- Business Services Marketing
Thomas Armstrong- Food Marketing Services
Carly Nicholas- Food Marketing Services
Kathryn Pringle- Hotel and Lodging Management
Erin Readie- Human Resource Management
Kaitlin Ciuba- Marketing Communications Services
Christian Rivera- Quick Serve Marketing
Madison Howells- Restaurant and Food Services Management
Chloe Levy- Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Justin Marko- Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Steven Shore- Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Erin Infante- Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Daniel Allen and Ryan Malko- Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making