Inglemoor High DECA club hits No. 1 in national rankings

Published 10:45 am Friday, May 14, 2010

Marketing can be crucial in notching one’s business or personal success.

For Inglemoor High’s DECA (Delta Epsilon Chi) marketing team, victory comes in the form of a No. 1 national ranking after the Vikings landed four first-place awards and a wealth of other accolades at the 64th annual International Career and Development Conference late last month in Louisville, Ky.

“Our chapter earning first place in the nation represents countless hours of hard work, determination and, more importantly, enthusiasm about this program and what it can mean for all our members,” said Jasmine Roe, club president and top-10 finisher.

Adviser Dennis Rockwood, who likens DECA to a varsity sport, said his students came to the “field” prepared to ace their 10-15-minute presentations on subjects like fashion merchandising, marketing management, travel and tourism and hospitality services. (In fact, two students are standout varsity athletes: swimmer Craig Olynyk and runner Ashley Nichols.)

“The pressure is on to cover the marketing-performance indicators as completely and professionally as possible,” Rockwood said. “Students at a national conference need to be at his/her peak in health, attitude, business knowledge, interpersonal skills and communication skills. Competition at this level demands nothing less than excellent performances and industry specific proficiency.”

In addition to the first-place awards, Inglemoor — which sent 47 competitors to the event — earned two seconds, one third, 10 top-10s and some top-20 and top-40 finishes. More than 13,000 students from all 50 states, Canada, Germany, Puerto Rico and Guam attended the conference.

Inglemoor first-place winners were: Stevie Jones (fashion merchandising), Sean Murphy (marketing management), Mikey Tom (travel and tourism) and Armando Melendez (travel and tourism). Rockwood also praised Olynyk and Lance Larsen (financial analysis) for finishing in the top 10 in all three years of their participation.

“Winning first place has been my dream for three years,” said Jones, who earned top 10 last year. “To shine in fashion, I needed to talk to at least 20 different adults, both in the fashion industry and where I work. Their collaboration helped develop both the 11-page paper and the (event) presentation. I think I spent over 100 hours outside of school working toward my goal. The work paid off.”

Murphy said he was motivated to do things right along the way in preparing for the event. Second-placer Sarah O’Sell (hospitality services) noted that networking with hotel managers, front-desk staff and others in the industry was a plus, and their experience and knowledge helped guide her to success.

Much like her long-distance running on the track and cross-country courses, Nichols’ road to the podium — she placed third in entrepreneurship independent business division — was a stride-by-stride progression.

“All the work, all the practice, all the adult help and encouragement all came together in that single moment my name was called out,” she said. “I needed to re-write my 11-page paper over 20 times, build professional props and present my plan over 30 times. Was it worth it? I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”