Vanessa Espinosa
Zachary Carle
Farmingdale High School Dalers got down to business at this year’s Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) competition. Fourteen students who competed in the first round of the annual competition qualified to compete in the New York DECA State Career Conference, which took place virtually on February 26-28. By participating in DECA, emerging business professionals and entrepreneurs can hone their skills in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management throughout their high school and college careers.
“Like everything else this year, the challenge of distance learning and preparation for the event did not stop these Dalers,” said Farmingdale High School business teacher Jonas Viik. “Our students and the rest of the DECA participants achieved an amazing accomplishment in this most difficult circumstance.”
This year’s competition was modified for the virtual stage to ensure all student’s and moderators’ safety. As usual, the competition covers a vast array of topics as they relate to both business and entrepreneurship. The first round is composed of two components: the Test and the Role Play. The Role Play, traditionally made up of an original presentation that solves a given problem, is presented in person to judges who work in the corresponding category. Given the pandemic, students pivoted and transformed their presentations into pre-recorded videos delivering their solutions.
Congratulations to all Farmingdale High School students who showed off their business chops against 2,000 other New York State DECA contenders. Stephen Kessler, Ethan Wong, Jacob Blanco, Wendoly Barahona Zelaya, Paolo Capucciati, Jenna Raczka, Anthony Ciaravino, Joseph Kessler, Jenna Mayers, Tyler Hothersall, Abigail Sneed, Katie Hickey, and James Hickis.
A special round of applause to the following students who placed in the top 10 of their DECA State Career Conference events.
- Vanessa Espinosa in the "Restaurant and Food Service Management" event
- Zachary Carle in the "Hospitality and Tourism" event
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DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges worldwide. DECA is organized into two unique student divisions, each with programs designed to address its members’ learning styles, interests, and focus. The High School Division includes 220,000 members in 3,700 schools. The Collegiate Division has over 5,000 members in 215 colleges and universities.