The Urbana High School DECA chapter is headed to Columbus later this month with a record-setting 42 students qualifying for the Ohio DECA State Career Development Conference.
According to UHS DECA Advisor Thomas Russell, students will compete February 24–25 against more than 4,000 of Ohio’s top DECA members, marking the largest group of state qualifiers in chapter history. Students have been preparing for their events since the beginning of the school year, advancing through district competition, research-based projects, and entrepreneurship and project management events.
District 4 State Qualifiers
The following students placed top four at the Ohio DECA District 4 competition on January 13 to earn state berths:
2nd Place
-
Jared McNeely & Jay Sabin — Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
-
Olivia Hess & Aiislynn Tackett — Integrated Marketing Campaign (Event)
-
Clohee Jordan & Lily Wisma — Integrated Marketing Campaign (Product)
3rd Place
-
Morgan Boyd — Sports & Entertainment Marketing Series
-
Starr Powell — Restaurant & Food Service Management Series
-
Drew Dixon — Principles of Entrepreneurship
-
Grady Lantz & Nick Webb — Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
4th Place
-
Ronnie Weimer — Business Services Marketing Series
-
Connor Endres — Principles of Marketing
-
Kevin Endres — Marketing Communications Series
-
Pryce Bass — Entrepreneurship Series
-
Kaylee Wooten — Food Marketing Series
-
Trent Hoffman & Larkin Moore — Sports & Entertainment Team Decision Making
-
Maybelle Davis & Kylie Hopkins — Business Law & Ethics Team Decision Making
Research-Based Event Qualifiers
Students also advanced through operations research projects focused on corporate social responsibility and business improvement strategies:
-
Business Operations Research — Maddie Long & Brylee Spriggs
-
Buying & Merchandising Operations Research — Evan Upchurch & Michael Upchurch
-
Finance Operations Research — Julianne Hoskins & Madison Music
-
Hospitality & Tourism Operations Research — Avery Smith & Noraa Smith
-
Sports & Entertainment Operations Research — Louie Astacaan, Colt Cotner, Ryland Davis
Entrepreneurship Projects
UHS DECA will take two entrepreneurship projects to state competition:
-
Business Growth Plan — Hazel Lightle
-
Franchise Business Plan — Ellie Blacker, Addi Hegyi, Bri Schuler
One project focuses on launching a new franchise in Urbana, while the other outlines a five-year growth strategy for an existing student-owned business.
Project Management Events
Students also qualified in project management after successfully planning and executing several school and community initiatives, including the Powderpuff Game, Real Money. Real World. financial literacy program, a Mental Health Fair, and girls basketball concession operations.
-
Community Awareness — Lacie Cayten, Riley DeMoss, Charlotte Timm
-
Community Giving — Alex Dixon & Brody Donahoe
-
Financial Literacy — Avari Jenkins, Olivia MacKendrick, Layla West
-
Sales Project — Bre Eggleston & Vincent Lightle
Students will compete for a top-five finish in Ohio, which would qualify them for the International Career Development Conference later this year in Atlanta, Georgia.
Competitive formats vary by event, with principles, series, and team decision-making competitors completing a 100-question exam and a case study presentation, while other events require a written report of up to 20 pages and a formal presentation.
UHS DECA will look to build on its momentum as one of the largest and most diverse chapters represented at this year’s state conference.
