LK DECA advances to international competition

Special to the Sun

Nineteen of Linden-Kildare High School’s DECA District Winners, along with DECA Advisor Billie Ruth Hankins and Written Events sponsor Gail Dorgan, were among the more than 4,400 Texas DECA competitors and advisors/sponsors at the 71st Annual Texas Career Development Conference held Feb. 23-25 at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio. District winners from high schools across Texas were vying for a Texas DECA State win and the opportunity to represent Texas in the upcoming DECA International Career and Development Conference (ICDC) to be held in Anaheim, California, April 25-30.  
Tadd Mitchell and Kayla Romer were named to the Texas Top Seven in the state in Business Services Operations Research and will represent Linden-Kildare DECA and Texas DECA at the ICDC competition in April. Receiving state recognition for being in the Top Fourteen in the state were Maleny Gomez in Franchise Business Plan and the team of Jordann Schuler, Sophie Wenzel and Kaylee Walters in Independent Business Plan Research. Each competitor underwent an evaluation process that involves students in both a written component such as an exam or report and an interactive component with an industry professional serving as judge. 
DECA’s Individual Series Events measure students’ proficiency in the knowledge and skills identified by occupational practitioners as essential to success in a given career. Participants receive recognition for achievement in each role-play scenario and in the series as a whole. 
DECA’s Business Operations Research Events provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed by management personnel. 
DECA’s Entrepreneurship Events provide opportunities to explore entrepreneurial concepts from idea generation and business planning, to growing an existing business.