Clubs are an important part of the community of Gloucester High School. Celebrating shared interests and working collaboratively are values everyone will need as they blossom from this tiny high school into the big world. One of these important clubs at Gloucester High School is DECA. To find out more about this club, I had the pleasure of interviewing the President of the DECA club, junior Ruby McElhenny.
Ben Sechrist: So what exactly is DECA? What does it mean and what do you do?
Ruby McElhenny: DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America. It is a business club for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs where they learn about business, finance, hospitality and tourism through competitive categories. But it’s so much more than that. It’s really about leadership and developing that sense of professionalism. And not just about business or a corporate career, but about learning how to collaborate and work with something with people and develop that skill of professionalism – so I think that’s what DECA stands for.
BS: So you’re the president of the DECA club at Gloucester High School, how important is it being the president and what values in leadership have you acquired from your position?
RM: So, this year, DECA is a lot different than it was last year. A lot of that comes from the attitude of our lovely team of officers and our advisor Mrs. Simmons. I’ve noticed that everyone has had the drive to do more with the program, which is great to see.
What I’ve learned is being president isn’t about presiding over everyone and telling everyone what to do, but a leader is someone who helps other people do their job better. So it’s really about lifting people up.
Some of the jobs that come with being the president include planning meetings, delegating tasks to officers and members, and planning fundraisers. DECA is so important, whether you’re the president or a member, it’s still about learning about leadership and being a leader.
BS: Why do people enjoy DECA?
RM: I do hope it’s gaining more popularity because we’re doing more with it. People enjoy the amount of extracurricular things we do. We go to a three-day competition in Boston and that’s really fun, and if you win, you can go to California. And there’s a lot of school you miss with it, so that’s kind of fun.
BS: I actually wanted to ask you about that. You miss a lot of school to travel, so how do you catch up on schoolwork like in math or science?
RM: Good question. So I’m not gonna say it’s easy to catch up, but when I get to go to a dance party at a hotel in Boston, I’m not gonna pass on that. I try to do it all at once on days we have open, and the next day it’s busy and you’re working until late at night. But yeah, I try to get it done ahead of time because I really want to take the time to do what I do with DECA.
BS: What special events do you [the club] have scheduled for DECA this year?
RM: We are in the process of planning our fundraisers, like a restaurant fundraiser in October, I believe October 14th, and we’re working to get tickets from Harbor Nine Golf for our fundraiser. And we’re looking to do a yard sale in October or November. So we’ll be doing a lot of events in the fall.
BS: How important is it for Gloucester High School to have a DECA club?
RM: For one, it’s important to bring values like independence and collaboration and professionalism, and the fact that anyone can join and have that. I also think it’s important that Gloucester is represented because almost every school has a chapter, so Massachusetts is a super state and a lot of people have DECA. And at the state competition they have a moment when they have a banner of their school, and that’s cool. Last year we won third place in our district, around the North Shore of Massachusetts.
BS: Can people still join DECA?
RM: They can. The deadline is September 30th. I hope people still join because we love new people in the club!
