After two weeks of competing against other high schools in a global competition, one team of students from Hillsboro-Deering High School has qualified for the DECA International Conference in April 2022.
In the Virtual Business Restaurant Management Competition, three students, senior Emily Wilkens, and Juniors Manny Velazquez and Emma Davison finished in first place in the competitive North Atlantic region of DECA and also 16th worldwide.
These first-round competitors will be combined with the winners of the January qualifier into a field of 16 teams competing for top world honors next spring at the International CDC in Atlanta, Ga.
“It is one of the most stressful, yet fun times of the year. Students love competing against and connecting with competitors from around the country and world to do this. The competition is intense and the students do a great job,” said team advisor Marc Payeur. “I’m very proud of all the competitors. We had several students compete in all seven of the challenges. Our Retail team, Sports Management team, and Personal Finance team, just missed out on qualifying. It was a heartbreaker for them, but they have another shot at it in January.”