Twenty members of the GHS DECA club traveled to Boston last week for SCDC to compete against the best competitors in Massachusetts. Julian Nixon, Velia Wrinn, and Keira O’Brien took home 4th place in Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research.
Massachusetts DECA introduced a new competition format, adding a preliminary elimination round for both role-play and written events.
DECA students kicked off the conference by competing in their preliminary competitions on Friday. Afterward, the group headed to the Opening Ceremony at the Boston Convention and Expo Center. At the ceremony, Gloucester students were entertained by Orlando-based freestyle rap act Free Daps. They were also introduced to 18 new State Officer candidates.
On Friday, Gloucester High’s 5 voting delegates met and talked with Massachusetts DECA State Officer candidates at their booths. Students also had the chance to attend workshops and booths from colleges and employers, like Citizens Bank and Suffolk University.
9 Gloucester finalists were announced mid-day on Friday and got the chance to present again. Lexi Thomas was the only Gloucester roleplay who qualified for both the state competition and finals. Isla Black, alongside the team of Henry Harrison, Finn Costa, and Jeferson DoCarmo, made finals for Finance Operations Research. Aleena Brown was a finalist in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research. Julian Nixon, Velia Wrinn, and Keira O’Brien qualified for finals in Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research.
Friday night started with the Election Session for the next year’s State Officers. Gloucester’s 5 voting delegates picked the top 9 State Officer candidates that they thought would serve Massachusetts DECA best.
The next event was the mini awards ceremony. Beginning this ceremony, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) ambassador Justin Moy spoke on his battle with Muscular Dystrophy and his scientific journey. Gloucester helped raise money for the MDA during the Miracle Minute, where State Officer Candidates collected donations from the audience.
The final event of the night was the DECA After Dark party. At DECA After Dark, students got the chance to play cornhole, take 360 dance videos, sing karaoke, and connect with other DECA members.
The DECA trip concluded with the Grand Awards ceremony. The top 6 written research events and the top 7 roleplays move on to the International competition in Orlando this April. Nixon, Wrinn, and O’Brien were the only Gloucester qualifiers for ICDC. Brown and Black placed 7th in their respective events, while Thomas placed 8th. Harrison, Costa, and DoCarmo also placed 8th.
Nixon, Wrinn, and O’Brien will compete against thousands of the world’s best DECA members at ICDC from April 26th to 29th.
