While most Verona High School students were drifting back to school last Thursday, the VHS chapter of the international business education club DECA sent 30 competitors–the largest VHS contingent in years–to DECA’s Central East District Conference at Kean University. The VHS group, which is advised by teachers Angela Salisbury and Pam Burke, consisted of 12 teams and six individual competitors, captured top spots in several categories and did well enough to be sending nine students to the next level of DECA competition in Atlantic City in March.
DECA, which was once known as the Distributive Education Clubs of America, runs regional, state and national competitions in which students take an online exam and sit face-to-face with an adult judge with experience in the student’s chosen industry area. This year’s VHS DECA competitors included:
- Brooke Anquillare, Hospitality Services Management Team Decision Making
- Alejandro Celi, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Ethan DiClemente, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Richard DiGeronimo, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Jacob Duffy, Entrepreneurship Series
- Samuel Eisenstein, Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series
- Meaghan Elliott, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Sofia Fiorita, Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series
- Austin Frank, Hotel and Lodging Management
- Clara Frizzi, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Kylee Gallagher, Hospitality Services Management Team Decision Making
- Timothy Gavin, Entrepreneurship Series
- Antonio Giannini, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Maximilian Handler, Financial Services Team Decision Making
- Nicolas Handler, Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Ryan Huze, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Nicholas Jacobsen, Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Nicolas Kozachuk, Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- John Lermi, Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Steven Luehs, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Declan Maisano, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Philip Mancuso, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- James McHugh, Restaurant and Food Service Management
- Aidan Murphy, Financial Services Team Decision Making
- Dean Palmer, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Belinda Pecci, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Adam Renna, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Evan Silvia, Travel & Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Andrew Tracy, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Samuel Zamloot, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
DECA recognizes the top three students/teams in each individual area and they receive a trophy. Lermi, who already has a clothing business, took first place on his area test, as did McHugh. The team of Silvia and Elliott took first in role play in travel & tourism, while Gavin took second in role play in entrepreneurship and the team of Murphy and Max Handler took third in role play in financial services.
Based on these results, Handler, Murphy, Gavin, Silvia, Elliott, McHugh, and Lermi will move forward to the High School State Career Development Conference at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City in March, as well as Kozachuck and Frank.
