DECA Area 11 regional competition held virtually

Each year hundreds of students from the area participate in Washington DECA competitions in the areas of marketing, finance, hospitality, business and entrepreneurship. This year the Area 11 regional competition was done virtually instead of in person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but local students were still able to compete to earn the chance to go on to a state competition.

“We had to do everything virtually this year,” said Shadle Park High School DECA adviser and Area 11 DECA leader Erin Ruehl. “Our students had to do their recording and preparation of their videos.”

The participating high schools included Cheney, Central Valley, Clarkston, Deer Park, Ferris, Lewis and Clark, Mead, Mt. Spokane, North Central, Pullman, Rogers, Shadle Park, West Valley and University.

The competitions that involved giving scenarios for students to solve gave the scenarios to the students on Jan. 5 and they were expected to submit their video on Jan. 7. “Most of the events are role-play events as an individual or as a team,” Ruehl said. “They didn’t even know what their topic was until Jan. 5.”

In an in-person event, students are usually given 10 minutes to prepare their scenario response and 10 minutes to present it. “Obviously, we had to do it differently,” she said.

Judges reviewed the submitted videos between Jan. 11 and 15, and each chapter did their own virtual awards session on Jan 19. The top seven winners in each category will advance to a virtual state competition in March.

Ruehl said it was difficult to pull off the virtual competition. “We all had a steep learning curve, the advisers and the students,” she said.

The number of students participating in the competition was down significantly from last year. This year 515 students competed, whereas 850 students participated last year. Ruehl said not as many freshmen as usual signed up this year, and she knows of others who decided not to participate because everything was virtual this year. Others struggled with the cost. “It’s not just one thing,” she said of the reduced numbers. “It’s a combination of things.”

While it was different, Ruehl said she was glad the DECA competition was able to be held in some form. “There’s not a lot of activities taking place right now,” she said. “This is a great way for them to stay involved in some of their extracurricular activities.”

Lewis and Clark High School senior Marina Swartout took third place in Hotel and Hospitality Management. She was competing by herself, and the scenario she was given was to pretend to be a hotel manager and argue the advantages and disadvantages to phasing out the front desk and making the check-in and check-out process automated.

This is her third year competing and she’s been to state twice before. Doing the competition online did have some benefits, Swartout said. “There’s definitely advantages and disadvantages to having all that time to prepare,” she said. “I had time to research.”

But Swartout said she missed the instant feedback she got when she presented live to judges. Doing it alone in a video makes it more difficult to get fully into the role playing, she said. “That’s the hard part,” she said.

Doing a virtual competition also gave students a taste of what a more virtual business world might be like in the wake of COVID-19, she said. “I think, given the circumstances, they tried to make it as on brand to DECA as they could,” she said.

Andre Ramsey, a senior at Rogers High School, has been the Area 11 president for the last two years. When he began DECA as a freshman, Ramsey said, he had no idea how far it would take him. He said it has helped him grow as a person from the shy, insecure freshman he was. “I never saw myself, four years later, getting up in front of a crowd and speaking to 10,000 people,” he said.

Participating in DECA convinced him to switch his career plans from neuroscience to business administration. “It’s really driven what I want to do in the future,” he said.

This year he took first place in professional selling, which was not scenario-based. Ramsey put together a virtual tour platform for universities. He had three months to come up with an idea to sell, research it and put a presentation together.

He said he found it difficult to be alone while making his video and said other students he spoke with also said they missed the social experience of an in-person competition. “They miss that aspect of being with other students,” he said.

But competing virtually is still a valuable experience and allows students to use their skills in practical ways, he said. “That’s the key part of the DECA experience,” he said.

Clare Deyarmin, a junior at University High School, is the incoming Area 11 president. She and her cousin, Caden Roberts, took second place in the Travel and Tourism, Team Decision Making category and will go on to state.

Deyarmin said she missed being able to see and talk with other students in the competition. “You can’t match it,” she said. “Virtually, you’re talking to a screen.”

But there were some silver linings with the virtual method of competition. “We also get more time to prepare, which is definitely a plus,” she said.

Deyarmin said she likes competing in DECA because of the opportunities and experiences it gives. “DECA provides you with a wealth of knowledge about things you don’t learn in the classroom,” she said.

As the new area president, she’d like to visit other local schools and talk to DECA students about their projects, but Deyarmin said she’ll just have to do her best over the computer. “Being virtual will make the presidency a little harder, just connecting with other students,” she said.

Several local students have advanced directly to the virtual national competition in the Stock Market Game. Students were to develop and manage a virtual investment portfolio of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. The top 25 students in each region are invited to attend nationals and present a paper they have written about the experience.

State DECA qualifiers

Here are results of the Washington DECA Area 11 regional competition held in December at Spokane Falls Community College. The top seven finishers in each event advance to the state competition.

Individual role play

Apparel and accessories marketing – 1, Abigail Tweedy (Mt. Spokane). 2, Kayla Sutherland (Mead). 3, Grace Williams (Central Valley) 4, Elissa Cranshaw (Lewis and Clark). 5, Carmen Kiewert (Deer Park). 6, Norah Sloan (Mt. Spokane). 7, Aubrey Henneberg (CV).

Accounting applications – 1, Brandon Blazekovic (Cheney). 2, Bridger Frost (Mead). 3, Dylan Pham (LC).

Automotive services marketing – 1, Joey Jenkins (North Central). 2, Ayden Kent (CV). 3, Parker Thams (Mead) 4, Darien Spurgin (Rogers) 5, Nathan Boldizsar (University). 6, Alek Zaslavsky (Mead). 7, Chase Roberts (NC).

Business finance – 1, Jacob Wharton (CV). 2, Remington Hanneman-Akins (LC). 3, Cole McNamee (Mt. Spo). 4, Ronald Palumbo (West Valley). 5, Evan Anderson (CV). 6, Chelsea Farace (LC). 7, Luke Ferguson (Mead).

Business services marketing – 1, Mckenna Smith (Mt. Spo). 2, Aaron Cox (RogERS). 3, Kelsie German (CV). 4, Bella Schmick (LC). 5, Braden Clemson (CV). 6, Macie Connor (U-Hi). 7, Tristian Herndon (WV).

Entrepreneurship – 1, Kyla Quien (Mt. Spo). 2, Kathryn Cornelius (LC). 3, Mason Christensen (Mt. Spo). 4, Aaron Starr (Ferris). 5, Elsa Parent (Pullman). 6, Garrett Roettger (Cheney). 7, Gabe Flann (Mt. Spo).

Food marketing – 1, Malika Halvorson (LC). 2, Sydney Vogel (Mt. Spo). 3, Bethany Chisholm (Ferris), 4, Susan Storlie (Rogers). 5, Rowan O’Neil (LC). 6, April Duncan (CV). 7, Gracie Bos (Mt. Spo).

Hotel and lodging management – 1, Nancy Phan (Rogers). 2, Chloe Dinwoodie (Mt. Spo). 3, Marina Swartout (LC). 4, Addyson Humphrey (Shadle Park). 5, Audrey Marcel (U-Hi). 6, Ian Buchanan (Mt. Spo). 7, Brooke Jorgensen (CV).

Human resources management – 1, Collin Bannister (Pullman). 2, Tatum Getchell (LC). 3, Emma Johnson (Shadle). 4, Ruby O’Neil (LC). 5, Riley Buth (Mt. Spo). 6, Megan Morrow (Mt. Spo). 7, Kate Sargent (Cheney).

Local Stock Market Game – 2, Madison Galimanis (Shadle). 13, Elizabeth Bartlett (NC). 15, Maddox Schoeffler (NC). 1, Joanna Schnatterle (Clarkston). 21, Chris Bruceri (Shadle).

Marketing communications – 1, Mary Kaschmitter (WV). 2, Madison Galimanis (Shadle). 3, Molly Willams (Clarkston). 4, Balkaran Singh (CV). 5, Allison Lorentz (LC). 6, Jennifer Facer (Mt. Spo). 7, Natalie Achenbach (Ferris).

Quick serve restaurant management – 1, Steven Johnson (Cheney). 2, Grace Campbell (Mt. Spo). 3, Kendall Wall (Mt. Spo) 4, Haley Burns (Mead). 5, Merle Creed (Shadle). 6, Felicity Kolbet (Ferris). 7, Hailey Castro (Shadle).

Restaurant and food service management – 1, Jackson Redder (Cheney). 2, Marissa Keltz (Mt. Spo). 3, Kyla Patrick (U-Hi). 4, Allison Gardella (Mt. Spo). 5, Trey Henning (Mt. Spo). 6, Deontae Johnson (NC). 7, Derek Bedell (Clarkston).

Retail merchandising – 1, Annika Simmons (Mead). 2, Ryan Lynch (LC). 3, Isabel Vazquez (Shadle). 4, Gabriella Van Inwegen (NC). 5, Isis Dozier (Mt. Spo). 6, Kaylee Coons (Clarkston). 7, Ben Ehlert (Mt. Spo).

Sports and entertainment marketing – 1, Allison Haynie (Mt. Spo). 2, Ryan Bro (Mt. Spo). 3, Hayden Blake (CV). 4, Gabe Bond (Mr. Spokane). 5, Malachi Clark (West Valley). 6, Thor Cunningham (Lewis and Clark). 7, Porter Burgoyne (Central Valley).

Team role play

Business law and ethics – 1, West Valley (Kade Barry, Matthew Buck). 2, Mt. Spokane (Sam Moffat, Kylie Stiles). 3, Lewis and Clark (Knox Brown, Zane Horst). 4, Mt. Spokane (Emma Braddock, Elizabeth Sonneland). 5, Mt. Spokane (Karly Bowen, Cassie Jay). 6, Pullman (David Miller, Alexandra Rhoades). 7, Mt. Spokane (Cody Pollock, McKay Smith).

Buying and merchandising – 1, Mt. Spokane (Avery Erickson, Dakota Finocchiaro). 2, Mt. Spokane (Ellie Morris, Natalie Stickland). 3, Mt. Spokane (Charlotte Isern, Erika Isern). 4, University (Haylee Barlow, Shelby Zehm). 5, Shadle Park (Aliya Alexander, Grace Shuck). 6, Mead (Chris Miner, Shafiq Moltafet). 7, North Central (Jared Carter, Kaden Fisk).

Entrepreneurship – 1, Central Valley (Alexis Aitken, Charley Palm). 2, Mead (Alanna Parker, Alexis Parker). 3, Mt. Spokane (Adam Ramirez, Jamin Smith). 4, Mt. Spokane (Stenson Gilbert, Joseph King). 5, Central Valley (Talia Emmerson, Gracie Wohl). 6, Clarkston (Trevor Ray, Cayden Vinson). 7, Mt. Spokane (Omid Ahmadi, Colby Sundheim).

Financial services – 1, Central Valley (Ben Hadley, Garrett Packebush). 2, Pullman (Jay Sahaym, Om Sahaym). 3, Mt. Spokane (Matthew Cong, Cameron Jansen). 4, Mt. Spokane (Hayden Anderson, Maggie Degenhart). 5, Mt. Spokane (Ava Watson, Autumn Welton). 6, Mt. Spokane (Isaac Neal, Ezra Whitehead). 7, University (Ryan Griep, Aimee Hawley).

Hospitality services – 1, Mead (Quincy Iverson, Kevin Selby). 2, Ferris (Brianna Kyinge Sifford, Josie Kyinge-Hooper). 3, Mt. Spokane (Riley Teedy, Gracee Ziegler). 4, North Central (Maya Turnbull, Jenna Wilcox). 5, Mt. Spokane (Olivia Cannon, Julia Costello). 6, Central Valley (Kelsey Mcdevitt, Jillian Persicke). 7, Lewis and Clark (Clare Heinen, Emelia Parker).

Marketing management – 1, Central Valley (Margaret Mathes, Jamieson McHenry). 2, Mt. Spokane (Ethan Hunt, Jordan Schroeder). 3, Mt. Spokane (Katelin Sevy, Reia Zernick). 4, Mead (Rowyn Morehouse, Bromley Ross). 5, Mt. Spokane (Dylan Craudell, Carter Gutsche). 6, Central Valley (Lucy He, Faith Price). 7, University (Dylan Beherens, Cyrus Cross).

Sports and entertainment marketing – 1, Mount Spokane (Hudson Gilbert, Keagan McMurray). 2, Mead (Hannah Wells, Lucia Zvonar). 3, Shadle Park (Ryan Schmidt, Martin Simeonov). 4, Mount Spokane (Kylie Chimienti, Emory Stevens). 5, Mead (Jacob Hernandez Camryn Magers). 6, Lewis and Clark (Anna Pilcher, Gabriella Treece). 7, University (Logan Krum, Ethan Thompson).

Travel and tourism – 1, Mount Spokane (Carly Jo Shuler, Karlee Whitehead). 2, University (Clare Deyarmin, Caden Roberts). 3, Lewis and Clark (Kiersty Staben, Emily Stone). 4, Central Valley (Izzy Carpenter, Saira Schoener). 5, Mead (Megan Borders, Laila Medhdi). 6, West Valley (Logan Bippes, Vanessa Towne). 7, Central Valley (Skyler Neumann, Jolie Plumb).

Papers and presentations

Teams may have one, two or three members. The top seven places qualify for state.

Innovation plan – 1, Deer Park (Ivan Bogle, Katerina Chernenko). 2, Shadle Park (Crimson Rice). 3, Ferris (Brianna Kvinge Sifford, Josie Kvinge-Hooper). 4, West Valley (Aisha Abdurhumann). 5, Ferris (Gary Kalich).

Start-up business plan – 1, Mt. Spokane (Emma Braddock, Elizabeth Sonneland). 2, Clarkston (Joanna Schnatterie, Claire Teasley). 3, West Valley (Kennedy Cargile, Liam Hyde, Emma Price). 4, West Valley (Emma Bowman, Karli Petruso).

Integrated marketing campaign-event – 1, Clarkston (Greta Boreson, Sophie Henderson). 2, Deer Park (Madison Bates, Madison Moon). 3, Clarkston (Trinity Coates, Anika Jensen). 4, Central Valley (Ally Fisher, Alyse Williams). 5, West Valley (Zoe Dice, Hayden Hunsaker). 6, Central Valley (Kate Gardner)

Integrated marketing campaign-product – 1, Shadle Park (Brianna Jacobs, Rylee Zinnecker-Brown). 2, Clarkston (Avah Griner, Magdalyn Ogden, Trisnani Woodbury). 3, Clarkston (Jenna Frei, Kilee Lemm, Liza Higgins). 4, West Valley (Carly Bale, Sage Mcallister). 5, Mead (Erika Frahm, Shannon Wood). 6, West Valley (Alic Tuller)

Integrated marketing campaign-service – 1, Clarkston (Manuel Sanchez). 2, Shadle Park (Paige Davis, Sophie Little). 3, Central Valley (Hailey Hale, Katelyn Hale, Eryn Lewis). 4, West Valley (Alissa Parker). 5, Clarkston (Chassidy Schneider, Bethany Shutt). 6, West Valley (Kailee Hurst, Aylen Littleworth)

Individual presentations

The top seven places advance to state.

Financial consulting – 1, Alyssa Welton (Mt. Spo). 2, Ryan Theisen (WV).

Hospitality and tourism professional selling – , Jillian Headley (Mt. Spo). 2, Audrey Schlotter (Mt. Spo). 3, Olivia Grabowski (CV). 4, Duy Nguyen (Mt. Spo). 5, Tyler Sauer (Mt. Spo).

Professional selling – , Andre Ramsey (Rogers). 2, Cooper Young (CV). 3, Colby Hair (Shadle). 4, Katie Belitz (Mt. Spo) 5, Sarah Lamonica (Mt. Spo).

–––

The results for the individual role play event automotive services marketing have been updated with the correct spelling of first-placer Joey Jenkins’ last name.