Nashoba DECA is back in business, literally! DECA members enthusiastically worked on their five, eleven, and thirty page papers, as well as role plays, in preparation for Nashoba’s DECA mock competition. This opportunity for students to practice their presentations took place in early December, and the regional competition took place on January 7th. The volunteer judges at the mock competition were community professionals in the business field, and they used their insight to prepare Nashoba students for the real judges to come. The event was a success for the DECAcated students of Nashoba, and there was a fun twist in the competition for the Nashoba Best Buddies.

The day kicked off with students rushing to the business classroom before first period in order to greet their group and drop off their posters. For newcomers, this is when the anxiety sets in. The daunting plan board boasted #RoadToNashville, setting the bar high with a goal of going to Nationals. The first wave of students headed down to compete around 8 A.M.

Each wave of presenters was given 10 minutes to prepare within their group. Note cards were flying, posters were flopping, and stress was through the roof as students made last-minute preparations. When the teams were ready to compete, they were called into to the auditorium to meet their judge.

DECA teams presented in a one-on-one setting with a judge. They were given 10 minutes to present and another 20 minutes to chat about the project. Judges gave valuable feedback to the presenters about their strengths, as well as suggesting improvements to make students more competitive in the regional and state competitions. In addition to giving verbal constructive criticism, judges filed a feedback sheet with further suggestions in the group’s folder. The stress of the presentation finally dissipated when the judges sent the students back to class.

While DECA members headed back to class, Best Buddies members headed down to face their judges in the very first Best Buddies business competition. In the few weeks leading up to the competition, Best Buddies members had a blast preparing their presentations. They were prompted to create a roller coaster based on their favorite movie and favorite colors. After their coaster was drawn out and decorated, they created a presentation that described why their design plan was the best. On competition day, they presented in a low-stress environment to the same judges that judged the DECA mock.

Each buddy was paired with their peer buddy and other students from the Marketing and Community Partnership class.The roller coasters they presented were influenced by movies such as Batman, Star Wars, and Frozen. Each group won a prize unique to their roller coaster design. The whole day would not have been possible without the tireless efforts from Mr. A, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Foley, and all of the Best Buddies teachers.

The exciting day got the Nashoba DECA members ready to rumble for the District and State DECA competitions. Though the business-filled day was formal, students and judges got to relax and enjoy the tremendous efforts of the Nashoba Best Buddies in the presentation of their roller coaster. 

The regional competition that took place in early December was also a huge success. In their respective categories, Keagan Castles placed 2nd, Helen Crosby and Maria Guerin placed 1st, Jonah Lemuix and Seeto placed 2nd, Tess Anderson, Michael Curtin, and MaryKate Magliozzi placed 1st, Krista Flinkstrom placed 2nd, Matthew Morrison and Nathan Basille placed 1st, Jessica Gavin placed 3rd, and Jordan Brady placed 2nd. A total of 105 Nashoba DECA members have qualified for the state competition. Congrats to the Chieftains for setting a DECA school record for the amount of students attending States!

With the DECA mock competition and Regionals completed as huge successes, the Nashoba business community has high hopes for the state competition in March. Best of luck to Nashoba’s DECAcated scholars!