College Park DECA recently completed their first competition of the year. The annual District 4 DECA competition that is typically held at The Woodlands High School with hundreds of attendees was adjusted this year due to the pandemic. Instead of presenting their projects in front of live judges, students had no choice but to adapt to an online competition model instead. 

DECA competitions consist of two main categories- written papers and roleplays. Students who choose to write papers spend months researching, working alongside a business, or crafting an entrepreneurship plan. Roleplay participants focus on a specific field in business and take a test over their category a few weeks prior to Districts. At the actual competition, students who are competing in roleplays are given a scenario and must quickly develop a presentation for the judges.

Even though this year’s competition was different than years past, all students were able to compete in their respective events. Students filmed their presentations over Zoom if they worked in a team or recorded themselves individually to send to the judges in early December. During the week of December 14th, parent volunteers, district teachers, and local business professionals graded the students’ presentations and papers from their homes. 

Earlier this week, it was announced that over 100 College Park DECA members advanced to the state level. Instead of holding a live awards ceremony the afternoon of the Districts Conference, DECA District 4 student leaders created a pre-recorded ceremony for students to enjoy and hear their names announced on YouTube.   

In addition to competition, highly accomplished DECA leaders from different high schools are able to run for a district office position during the conference. This year, College Park sophomore, Ada Wang was elected Vice President of District 4 by the student voting committee. She will begin her term next school year. 

Typically, the 100+ students that advanced to State would be heading to Dallas for three days in mid-February to compete amongst the best DECA students in Texas. This year, CP members will still compete, but the conference will be held virtually like Districts. Regardless, DECA members are ready for all challenges in front of them as they work towards advancing to the International competition.