Twenty-three members qualified for nationals and eighteen of them went. This is the most members Nashoba DECA has ever had attend the International Conference. This year’s conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia in early May. DECA members from all across the country competed.

Business teacher and Nashoba DECA chapter adviser, Mr. Andreopoulos, was ecstatic with the results at states this year. “There were three days of competition where students competed against people from all across the country. Qualifying and placing is extremely difficult. Unfortunately, nobody from our chapter qualified, but the effort was outstanding.” Aside from competing, Mr. A and all of the students went on amazing trips to unique locations in Georgia. “We went to the CNN Center, Coca Cola World, The Georgia Aquarium, which was my favorite part, and the Atlanta Zoo. We also went to cool shops here and there.” Among the eighteen students who went, there was a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. “Everyone got along so well which was really awesome to see. People who weren’t really friends at the beginning of the trip became friends by the end. It was a great bonding experience for everyone.”

It was junior Rebecca Worden’s first year in DECA, and she attended nationals with a ticket coming from her 4th place finish at states. She said she had an amazing time and loved bonding with the other students that went on the trip. “It was really fun going to attractions together, everyone bonded well. We went to the pool together, out to dinner, and everyone got along really well and we shared a lot of laughs.” Because there were over sixteen hundred DECA members in Atlanta, meeting new people was inevitable. “ There were multiple state chapters in our hotel, so we met people from across the country. Also, there was a pin trading system where you can trade pins with other people from different states and it was really cool to see where people came from.” Rebecca can’t wait for the upcoming DECA season and is eager for it to begin.

Having this trip set at towards the end of the year was a perfect opportunity for seniors to have one last memory with Nashoba. Senior Danielle Tremblay and her partner Hannah Freeman finished in fourth place at states and couldn’t wait to venture to Atlanta. “Although my partner and I didn’t place, it was some of the best five days of my life that I’ll bring with me wherever I go and it was a great way to end off my senior year.” Danielle also enjoyed the variety of food that the south had to offer. “The chicken and waffles down south at Gladdy’s are by far the best!” Aside from trying new food, she enjoyed the other activities such as  a VIP country concert and the Georgia Aquarium, which is the worlds largest aquarium. It was an experience she will never forget.

Mr.A also talked about plans for the upcoming DECA season. He believes that there will be around one hundred and thirty members, fifty-two of them being returning members. In addition to more members, there is a new class being offered specifically designed for DECA; Marketing and Communications. This class will be taught by Mrs. Foley and will be a great addition into the schools curriculum. All in all, this past DECA season was a huge success and it will only be getting better in the future.