A new competition surfaced this year at the Georgia DECA Fall Leadership Conference, and students from Sandy Creek High and Whitewater High rose to the top.
Since most DECA competitions require a role play component, and Georgia DECA is looking to improve its scores at the international level, a marketing role play competition was created to help students hone their skills. A total of 18 judges selected their top two competitors.
After the judges evaluated approximately 275 students, Duane Patrik, Jr. from Sandy Creek High, and Mason Rzepkowski and Ella Hall from Whitewater High made their judges top picks. Winners were presented with a medallion during a special recognition ceremony the last day of the conference.
DECA chapters across the state were invited to choose up to five members to participate, “so each chapter chose their best,” says Karen Stoll, DECA advisor for Whitewater High.
Students were given a marketing case to study on the spot, with only 10 minutes to create a solution and prepare a 10-minute role play to deliver that solution to the judges. The case study involved explaining the differences between personal and business usage for social media.
Each competitor received feedback from the judges about their strengths and challenge areas so that they can possibly bring home top awards at the international competition.