By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — After a tremendously successful trip to States for Caribou’s DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) members, three students will be making their way to Nationals later this month.
Caribou’s DECA students have a history of doing well at state competitions, and this year was no exception.
Contributed photo
Every Caribou DECA member who competed at States in Portland placed — continuing Caribou’s tradition of exemplary performance in the vocational skills competition. Caribou’s DECA members are, from left, front row: Chaya Karunasiri, Allissa Irving, Mallorie Cyr, Matthew Milliard, Chelsea Martin and Sabrina Haney. Back row: Derek Richardson, Kameron Manter, Matthew Manter, Nick Whitehead, Breen Blackstone, Delaney Williams and Cody Herbert.
“Everybody that went, placed,” said Caribou’s DECA Advisor Reed Nonken. He explained that DECA is an organization that enhances the co-curricular education of students with interests in marketing, management and entrepreneurship.
“Most of them have entrepreneurial tendencies, I’d say, but about 40 percent of the class is there to have fun,” Nonken said.
While the class is pretty fun, students develop skills and competence for marketing careers, build self-esteem, esperience leadership and practice community service — as Nonken described.
“This club not only affords the student the opportunity to participate in state and national competitions, but they gain valuable experiences in real life marketing-related activities,” he added.
Caribou’s 13 DECA members that attended the two-day state competition in Portland came home with 16 total placements – six first place, six second place, and four third place.
“They’ve been doing really well,” Nonken said.
Caribou’s DECA members are also Nonken’s students in the business and marketing class at the Caribou Regional Technology Center; in preparation for the DECA competition this year, students have been involved in developing and implementing various fund-raising programs as well as learning to work together in teams to prepare for competition. Second-year students have even been working on developing business plans for opening a new business; their business plans include aspects of marketing, identifying any legal requirements, preparing a financial packet, identifying customer markets as well as understanding inventory and labor issues — “All which culminate in a year-end presentation to a volunteer board of local banking executives,” Nonken explained.
Winning first place were:
• Sabrina Haney, Chelsea Martin and Delaney Williams: fashion and merchandising program;
• Matthew Milliard and Breen Blackstone: business law and ethics; and
• Derek Richardson: human resources.
Placing second were:
• Sabrina Haney and Chelsea Martin: buying and merchandising;
• Delaney Williams and Cody Hebert; finance; and
• Nick Whitehead and Mallorie Cyr: travel and tourism.
In third place were:
• Matthew and Kameron Manter: travel and tourism; and
• Chaya Karunasiri and Allissa Irving: buying and merchandising.
While six Caribou students placed first and won an opportunity to compete at Nationals in California, only three students committed to raising the nearly $2,500 per student to cover travel expenses — Haney, Martin and Williams.
This is the second time that Haney and Martin earned first place at States, but due to the expenses they weren’t able to compete in Nationals last year.
Anyone interested in assisting the students with the cost of attending Nationals are asked to send donations to Caribou DECA, Caribou Technology Center, 308 Sweden Street, Suite 1, Caribou ME 04736.
“At Nationals, they will not only get the opportunity to compete against 500 or so other students from around the nation, but they will have the opportunity to participate in leadership and educational seminars not available to them locally,” Nonken explained.
