Comsewogue School District Excels at the State DECA State Competition

Comsewogue High School recently competed at the 64th annual New York State DECA Competition in Rochester, New York, for the first time in the Comsewogue School District’s history—and were victorious in multiple categories.

“Comsewogue High School’s DECA Club members have been preparing all year and working hard for a chance to reach the DECA State Competition for the first time in the District’s history,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jennifer Quinn. “Making it to the state championship was no easy feat, and our students went above and beyond in the competition, taking home multiple coveted prizes and representing their community with pride.”

Sophomore Dillon Order was a stand-out contender, winning first place in the principles of finance competition and taking home multiple medals in the exam, role-playing and overall subcategories.

Senior Kyle Buck took home fourth place in the quick serve restaurant management competition and won medals for the exam, role play 1, role play 2 and overall subcategories. He also went home with a Nintendo Switch for winning the general trivia competition.

For their remarkable performances, Dillon and Kyle will be advancing to the DECA International Career Development Conference next month in Anaheim, California.

“It was surreal,” said Dillon. “Hearing 'Comsewogue' followed by my name caught me so off guard. It made the experience better. I couldn’t believe it, and I’m looking forward to Comsewogue DECA and where it takes me and my peers in the future.”

“I am extremely grateful for this wonderful opportunity Mr. Joudeh presented us,” Kyle said. “I can’t wait to see how far Dillon and I will go. Hopefully this is only the beginning of Comsewogue’s journey throughout the DECA program!”

In addition to Dillon and Kyle’s successes, sophomore Hannah Montoya finished the top 10 in the principles of finance competition and senior Brandon Bermingham placed top 10 in the principles of marketing competition.

Comsewogue saw six more students excel in their first state competition. This included Reese Agarenzo in the principles of hospitality and tourism category, Jace Mas in the principles of business management and administration category, Aryana Spence in the hotel and lodging management category, James Lanze in the automotive services marketing series, Sophia Gregorio in the food marketing series, and Vincent Oliveto in the sports and entertainment marketing series.

Comsewogue launched its DECA Club this year, giving aspiring business leaders the opportunity to compete in regional, state and international competitions. “Comsewogue was the dark horse at this year’s conference and raised the bar for the competition in multiple categories,” said Rami Joudeh, the club’s advisor and business teacher.

Comsewogue began offering a small business program five years ago. After the only business teacher retired, the district created a new business program from the ground up. Now it offers multiple courses with several teachers, a rich curriculum and partnerships with local businesses, colleges and professionals to ensure that our students learn the technical and soft skills they need to be successful, said Dr. Don Heberer, District Administrator for Instructional Technology and supervisor of the Business/CTE Department. The next step was establishing its DECA Club, which now gives students the opportunity to represent their community and vie for success on a global level.

For more information about the Comsewogue School District, please visit the District’s website at https://www.comsewogue.k12.ny.us/. Happenings in the District can also be followed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ComsewogueSD.