DECA members compete at state

• HHS Deca members, from left, Kirsten Kruizenga, Audrey Maline and David Mattson

Hudson High School DECA members who competed at the state DECA competition were, from left, Kirsten Kruizenga, Audrey Maline and David Mattson.

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Hudson High School DECA members competed at the three-day state DECA competition March 9-11 at the Lake Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva.

Three DECA members competed at the state level for the first time. Sophomores Audrey Maline and Kirsten Kruizenga competed in the Hospitality team event; and sophomore David Mattson competed in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing event. DECA Advisor and Marketing Instructor Amy Emerson accompanied the students.

At the competition students took two 100-question written exams and participated in two role-play events. In the role-play events, students are presented with a business scenario and have 15 minutes to come up with a response or solution. Competitors must present their ideas to a judge, and they are evaluated based on creativity, professionalism and business and marketing knowledge.

The three HHS students qualified to compete at the state DECA competition after competing at the district DECA Competition, which was held Jan. 15 at UW-Stout.

In addition to the competition at the state meet, students attended formal banquets and ceremonies and enjoyed a variety of fun social events.

“The state DECA competition is a big deal, involving hundreds of outstanding business/marketing students from across the state,” Emerson said. “Our students gained valuable experience and learned a lot, but I am most proud of how well they represented Hudson.”

DECA is a co-curricular club offered through the HHS Business/Marketing Department. DECA members participate in variety of school and community-related activities throughout the school year. The purpose of HHS DECA is to develop future business and community leaders.

Tags: high school, arts and entertainment, education,  arts, entertainment