As the school year rolls into routine, students at Nashoba Regional High School begin creating their various projects and papers for the DECA program in preparation for the district’s competition. This year, Nashoba students compete in a new district, moving the competition from the UMASS Lowell campus to the Nichols College campus. DECA meetings typically occur weekly after school where you can receive help from your DECA advisors, Mr. A, and Ms. Norton, or be assisted by fellow students and DECA officers. Keep in mind, your paper is due significantly earlier than the competition date as it needs to be graded before presenting your project.

Around a day after competing in the district competition at Nichols college, students will then be informed about their placement in the competition, which signifies to participants if they qualify for the DECA States competition located in Boston. At DECA states, students will compete against peers at a variety of different schools all over Massachusetts, ultimately fighting for a spot at the international competition, which is in Orlando, Florida for the 24-25 school year. At states, students are excused from a day or two of school, allowing them to spend time with their friends in Boston while competing with their created projects. Students presenting a paper project spend around 10-15 minutes in front of a judge, while participants doing a role play are put on the spot to prepare and present. The States competition is usually around the middle of March. Right before returning home, participants attend the final awards ceremony where they are recognized for their success and achievements within their category, and are also informed if they qualify for the international competition.

If you qualify for the international contest referred to as ICDC, your trip to Florida will begin around the end of April, typically after April break has passed. Students will miss around a full week of school due to the competition, while also experiencing days of fun such as trips to Universal and Disney World. At ICDC, your competition expands from people just within your state, to participants from all 50 states as well as many foreign countries. You will be able to meet people from all different places who are united over their excitement and passion surrounding the DECA competitions. After you present your project at the international level, you are informed within hours if you qualify for the second round of presentations, which is just the top 20 groups from your category. These groups then anxiously await their results at the award ceremony later that night, which will tell them if they have won the DECA glass award, given only to the top three groups world-wide in a certain category. Good luck to everyone competing this year, sounds like it will be a strong year for groups at Nashoba!