Thirteen Mercer Island High School students earned top spots at the Washington State DECA Career Development Conferences Saturday, March 8, qualifying them for the international competition in Atlanta the first week of May. The top seven individuals or teams out of 50-60 state competitors qualify for the international competition. Nine more Mercer Island Students earned medals for placing in the top 10 percent in specific categories.
“Our students will be well served by their entrepreneurial achievements. These students are the promising leaders of tomorrow who will be running companies and leading communities,” said Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano.
The state competition took place March 6-8 at the Meydenbauer Convention Center in Bellevue, where nearly 50 Mercer Island students competed against thousands of other Washington high school students in case study and written research events.
The students who will compete in Atlanta this year include:
· Julia Cartwright – Principles of Finance – 1st Place
· Peter Mahoney & Kevin Bernstein – Financial Team Decision Making – 5th Place
· Brett Bottomley – Business Financial Services – 6th Place
· Nathan Gallatin & Adrienne Suhm – Sports & Entertainment Promotion Plan – 1st Place
· Sara Federman – Restaurant & Food Services – 6th Place
· Amanda Wall & Dana He – Advertising Campaign – 2nd Place
· Meredith Thieme – Sports & Entertainment Promotion Plan – 5th Place
· Adrienne Suhm – Business Operations Research Event – 2nd Place
· Sydney Zeldes – Marketing Management – 4th Place
· Sydney Lopes – Hotel & Lodging – 2nd Place
· Kylee Skall – Entrepreneurship Growing Your Business – 7th Place
The following nine students placed in the top 10 percent in individual categories at the state-level, earning a medal to recognize their outstanding performance:
· Cara Schneiderman – Advertising Campaign Presentation
· Michael Krebs & Sasan Salman – Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making
· Alexa Bauman – Principles of Finance
· Yaritza Encarnacion – Restaurant and Food Service Management
· Chloe Keller – Hotel and Lodging Management
· Lynden Lam – Retail Merchandising
· Jane Peterson – Advertising Campaign
· Alison Rosenman – Accounting Applications Series
· Megan Lee – Business Finance Series Event
DECA, an international association of marketing students, gives students the chance to compete annually at area, state, and international competitions in the areas of marketing, finance, accounting, entrepreneurship and management. By learning business and communication skills, DECA prepares students for leadership, college and professional life through engaging and challenging projects.
