71 Strongsville High Students Headed To DECA State Competition

STRONGSVILLE, OH — Seventy-one Strongsville High students qualified for this month's Ohio DECA State Competition, the district announced.

DECA is a national student organization designed to attract students to careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, management and entrepreneurship.DECA is a national student organization designed to attract students to careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, management and entrepreneurship. Due to COVID-19 this year's district competition included a written test and a video submission of their role play presentation. Students were judged on their ability to develop and communicate solutions to a variety of industry challenges.

“It has been such a tough year on students physically, mentally, and emotionally. Although it wasn't the same as in year's past, this year's DECA competition provided the students with a sense of normalcy. This event was something that the students could look forward to and became a sort of creative outlet for them to express themselves. Their excitement and dedication is reflected in the results of the competition. We are so proud of the resiliency of these students,” said Jenna Naymik, Strongsville High marketing teacher and DECA advisor.

Strongsville High sent 105 students to the DECA District competition and 71 punched their tickets to state competition by finishing in the top three in either team events or individual events.

"DECA has really developed me as a student and a person as you learn many important life skills. I am thankful to have such a great and influential teacher to guide my fellow students and me in this competition," said Matt Mori, Strongsville High School junior.

The following students will represent Strongsville at the upcoming Ohio DECA State Competition, (competition category in parentheses):

25 First Place Individual/Team Qualifiers

Individual:

• Angelina DiCola (Automotive Services)
• Justin White (Business Finance)
• Mark Ramser (Food Marketing)
• Nathan Dubsky (Personal Financial Literacy)
• Eli Malczewski (Sports & Entertainment)
• Matthew Mori (Entrepreneurship)
• Sydney Flegm (Hotel & Lodging)
• Anabel Abdallah (Quick Serve Restaurant)
• Naomi Rohrbach (Retail Merchandising)

Team:

• Sophia Alonge and Sarah Schoenberger (Business Law & Ethics)
• Rachel Glinsky and Lauren Knotts (Financial Services)
• Christian Slokar and Brooke Zellers (Entrepreneurship)
• Joshua Stevens and Jack Vargo (Hospitality Services)
• Meredith Klinzing and Mariam Saleh (Marketing Management)
• Paul Burlinghaus and Rose Graham (Sports & Entertainment)
• Laney Carroll and Stavroula Kadras (Travel & Tourism)
• Jenine Abuhamdeh and Emma Clotworthy (Buying & Merchandising)

24 Second Place Individual/Team Qualifiers

Individual:

• Emily Lytle (Apparel & Accessories)
• Noah Bruening (Business Finance)
• Amanda Markovich (Business Services)
• Shelby Sallee (Quick Serve Restaurant)
• Gabrielle Masola (Restaurant & Food Service)
• Elizabeth Ong (Entrepreneurship)
• Gwen Horvath (Marketing Communications)
• Skyla Burris (Retail Merchandising)

Team:

• Madeline Applegate and Kaylee Harris (Buying & Merchandising)
• Reagan Bass and Brooke Brengartner (Entrepreneurship)
• David Maglakelidze and Garrett Manney (Marketing Management)
• Ryleigh Blum and Yasmine Jabr (Business Law & Ethics)
• George Dadas and Cole Smith (Financial Services)
• Nicholas Patten and Landon Turner (Hospitality Services)
• Nicole Sidloski and Alexandria Van Cucha (Sports & Entertainment)
• Emily Brewer and Ava Falcioni (Travel & Tourism)

22 Third Place Individual/Team Qualifiers

Individual:

• Devin Maddox (Business Finance)
• Madelyn Selong (Human Resources Management)
• Alyssa Cirino (Marketing Communication)
• Caleb Warren (Sports & Entertainment)
• Daniel Mutti (Personal Financial Literacy)
• Megan McFadden (Quick Serve Restaurant)

Team:

• Nicholas Cox and Mason Kaiser (Travel & Tourism)
• Ethan Geiss and Ryan Kahn (Sports & Entertainment)
• Ryan Bakos and Jayden Morales (Hospitality Services)
• Dominic Mancuso and Julia Spicer (Business Law & Ethics)
• Kinda Awada and Kelsey Kappel (Buying & Merchandising)
• Renee Levasseur and Alyssa Merrell (Entrepreneurship)
• Aidan Cunningham and Alex Morales (Financial Services)
• Vanessa Fabrizi and Liam Shea (Marketing Management)