The Mercer Island High School DECA team has qualified 16 students to advance to the International Career Development Conference next month in Atlanta.

DECA is an international student organization that provides real-world business experiences in a school setting. Students compete in DECA through extemporaneous business case studies that are judged by business professionals, or by submitting various projects that range from 30-page written international business plans to innovational entrepreneurship plans to ad campaigns.

The MIHS state DECA team of more than 130 students brought their best performances and business knowledge to the Washington state competition held earlier this month at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. Their advisors are teachers Jen McLellan and Shannon Tapp.

MIHS state placings and finalists:

Principles of Hospitality: Kevin Baker – 1st; Taylor Richards – 2nd.

Personal Financial Literacy: Benjamin Holers-Gross – 5th.

Accounting: Robert Yee – Finalist; Adelaide Jones – Finalist.

Business Services Marketing: Nicole Mandt – 4th; Nadia Lumba – Finalist.

Food Marketing: Samantha Bender – 7th.

Hotel and Lodging Services: Lait Perlman – Finalist.

Restaurant and Food Service Management: Colin Gersch – 3rd.

Retail Merchandising: Amanda Wion – 4th.

Team – Entrepreneurship: Christina Petrie and Drew Deguchi – 7th.

Team – Financial Services: Hunter Bauman and Alex Platou – 1st; William Hamilton and Kaleb John-Lewis – 7th.

Team – Marketing Management: Shelby Burr and Lindsey Lovsted – 7th.

Creative Marketing: Carson Coe, Stewart Vassau, Matthew Boissoneault – 6th.

Entrepreneurship Individual: Declan Chapin – 7th.

Leadership Academy: Connor Grady, Emily Rowe, James Watson.