DECA Students Take on Preparation for State

DECA is a Camas High School (CHS) club that teaches students on-the-spot thinking and public speaking skills in a business setting. As the date for the DECA State competition [SCDC] approaches, students are spending hours of their time prepping the skills and resources they need to compete in their category.

Throughout the first semester, students worked on a written paper that they chose to take to state. They also completed a business roleplay.

“We have the written paper which is a 20 page paper involving an issue that a business is facing, and developing a project to help solve that problem. We also have roleplay events, where you essentially pretend to be some sort of professional role in a situation and come up with unique solutions,” Akhila Pattamatta, CHS junior and DECA student said. 

Once the state-qualifiers finish preparing these projects, they use various strategies for practicing and building new skills to prepare for SCDC. 

“We schedule study sessions. Students have to attend six of the nine study sessions after school. We coach them through practicing roleplays, teaching content, and testing,” Suzie Downs, CHS DECA teacher said. 

For each DECA category, coaches [i.e. Downs] encourage students to prepare for SCDC in different ways.

“At CHS, if you’re competing for a roleplay, you have to complete six practice roleplay tests. If you complete the written paper, you still have to attend six study sessions but these sessions will focus on making your presentation of your paper very good,” Nabeeha Ahmed, CHS junior and DECA student said.

There are also specific things that students should be studying based on their category.

“Based on the category, you will know what type of stuff you need to study. For example, if you are competing for a marketing roleplay, you should study marketing terms and strategies that can help you in your roleplay. If you compete for an automotive category, you should try understanding current automotive trends and sales methods,” Ahmed said. 

“Make sure you have a plan on how you want to structure your role plays and take practice tests,” Ella Ziezmer, CHS junior and DECA student said. 

After months of preparation, students get to enjoy their SCDC experience as much as socializing with friends.

“I am looking forward to being with my friends, shopping, and dressing up,” Ziezmer said. 

The CHS DECA staff provides their students with many resources to help them be the most prepared and successful for state as they can be.