DECA is an acronym for Distributive Education Clubs of America, the club is for students of all grades in high school, DECA advisors, alumni, and professional members. College students can also join a group called college DECA.  It is a business club that consists of marketing, entrepreneurship, business management, finance, and hospitality, and tourism.  

Teachers within the school lead the organization.  At West, the students have a meeting after school to discuss and practice events that take place at competitions. 

“I have been a DECA advisor for 13 years,” said Mrs. Taylor Thompson. “I choose to be a DECA advisor because I enjoy seeing my students take the content they learn in my classes and apply it into these competitions and it’s so exciting to see a student when they have done well.”  

There are three levels within the competitions. The first level is district/regionals, the second level is states, and the third level is called nationals.  When going from district to states, you have to pass a test with a certain score and be officiant in your role play.  From states to nationals you have to place.

“DECA is an organization for marketing students to apply the information they learned in class and use it in real-life situations so they are able to focus on life skills,” said Mrs. Thompson. “So again, they are taking the information learned from their business or marketing class and they are bringing it to life.” 

DECA is a way to build relationships with others and work on speaking to people more professionally.  Learning to work with others is an important life skill because you can’t always do something independently. Speaking to others will also get you into things that you need because knowing people can help in the long run. 

When people take part in DECA, they are often more confident within themself.  They experience events where they can socialize with other people and learn how to interact professionally.  DECA has many events where people compete for a good learning experience.