West Bloomfield High School DECA Earns Forty-Nine District Awards

West Bloomfield, Michigan – The West Bloomfield High School DECA Chapter earned forty-nine awards in the Michigan DECA District 6 Awards Ceremony held virtually January 13, 2021. West Bloomfield earned eight test medallions and thirteen in role play. Twenty-eight students were recognized as finalists in their categories earning them the opportunity to represent the school district at the State Career Development Conference to be held virtually March 8-12. Those that qualify at the state level, will join the six students from the chapter who have already placed to represent the State of Michigan and the International level in April.

The District Conference Competition took place in two parts. Both parts of the competition were held virtually for the first time. Approximately 600 high school students from around Oakland County competed against each other for the opportunity to move to the State competition in March. The first portion of the competition was held in November with a 100 question multiple-choice exam over the internet in the competitor's selected category ranging from Sports and Entertainment Marketing to Finance. The second portion of the competition consisted of a role-play scenario with either a 10 or 30 minute preparation time in a virtual format presented to a local business member over video conferencing. The test and role play scores were combined to choose the overall finalist which were announced over a YouTube live stream on January 13th.

We are proud to acknowledge the winners (listed below) that will represent the West Bloomfield School District at the State Competition in March.

Charlotte Brager; Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
Simran Chandna; Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
Bryson Doyle; Principles of Business Management and Administration
Logan Faulkender; Automotive Services Marketing Series
Abagail Freitag; Financial Consulting Event
Jacob Gekiere; Principles of Finance
Mick Gordinier; Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
Olivia Higgins; Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series
Alexander Kalaj; Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
Darin Lavine; Principles of Finance
Logan Lewis; Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
Ryan Lynch; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making
Lauren Mandel; Business Services Marketing Series
Izabella Marchand; Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series
Jin Park; Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
Vuk Ristivojevich; Entrepreneurship Series
Husain Saifuddin; Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
Trygve Sears; Automotive Marketing Series
Milin Sharrow; Human Resources Management Series
Ilyssa Sheena; Retail Merchandising Series
Andrew Shore; Professional Selling Event
Morgan Shropshire; Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
Bryce Smith; Retail Merchandising Series
Jack Stuit: Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making
Safa Syed; Hotel and Lodging Management Series
Kouya Takeshita; Entrepreneurship Series
Joshua Williamson; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
J’zsani Willis; Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making

Mick Gordinier, senior, shared, “While it was unfortunate that we couldn’t compete in person, I believe it was still an enjoyable, worthwhile experience. It was just as good of a feeling to hear my partner’s and my name called as a qualifier for states even though it was done through a YouTube live stream!”

Julie Zalla, Teacher, shared, “I am so incredibly proud of the hard work, dedication, and persistence displayed by our students. It took a great deal of motivation on each student's part to be consistent in meeting with their advisors independently as well as together as a chapter this semester as we navigated virtually. The students did a tremendous job and showed true determination and resiliency. I am inspired by how well they have adapted and look forward to greeting them in person in a few short weeks.”

About West Bloomfield High School DECA
DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. The West Bloomfield High School DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business, and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community-oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leaders.

Students enrolled in a course taught by a WBHS DECA advisor may participate. Current course options include - Marketing, Advanced Marketing, Growing Your Own Business, Accounting, Finance, Fashion Merchandising, AP Macro, and AP Microeconomics. www.westbloomfielddeca.com www.wbsd.org