Every year around this time, FBLA and DECA take on district competitions. DECA went to the St. Louis Outlet Mall on Wednesday, Feb. 4, and FBLA went to Chesterfield Mall on Friday, Feb. 6. Students competed in various categories, performed in role playing situations, gave speeches and presented projects to a group of judges.

“I think I did very well. I didn’t place but I did better than I expected and it will help me achieve more of my goals in life and give me the confidence for future job interviews,” DECA member Kaitlyn Jennings said.

Attendance in the competition was far greater this year than in the past. Competition categories ranged between entrepreneurship, business planning, desktop publishing and other categories relating to aspects of business.

“I was super nervous about presenting but it ended up pretty well and my group and I did a lot better than I expected,” FBLA secretary Surbhi Patel said.

At the end of the day, after judges evaluated everyone’s performances, students attended the awards ceremony in hopes of placing in the top spots. If they succeeded, they received a medal and a trophy and the chance to compete in State competitions.

“When you’re up on the stage you can feel the nerves getting to you and the anticipation grows especially if they don’t call your name. It gets worse and you get more and more anxious wanting to know,” FBLA President Elise Gertsch said. “Then after you know what you placed it all ceases and you’re happy that you did well and it’s finally over.”

Not only did students compete while they were at the mall, but they also had the opportunity to walk around and shop with their friends. DECA students were entertained by a hypnotist who took volunteers from the crowd to be hypnotized. FBLA members set out on a scavenger hunt through the mall before competitions started.

“It was a really fun day, you get to spend the whole day at the mall with your friends, eating and having fun and the whole adrenaline rush from competing. This is one of the things that’s going to make me miss high school,” Gertsch said.

DECA:

Principles of Finance
1^st place: Jeff Smith
Apparel & Accessories

1^st place: Alex Arger

2^nd place: Anthony Lupo

3^rd place: Troy Ostermann

Automotive Services:
2^nd place: Tabitha Castor
3^rd place: Adam Waddell

Business Finance:
5^th place: Rachel Mecklenburg
6^th place: Alex Weinstock

Business Services Marketing:
3^rd place: Brandon McCarty
5^th place: Ethan Hussey

Leadership Delegate:
1^st place: Anthony Lupo

Food Marketing:
1^st place: Jessica Biondo
3^rd place: Sammy Teson
6^th place: Andrew Meyer

Human Resources:
2^nd place: Annelyse Scopel

Marketing Management:
2^nd place: Jacob Dehesa
4^th place: Thomas Officer

Quick Serve Restaurant:
4^th place: Adrienne Davidson
6^th place: Anna Ford

Restaurant & Food Service Management:
5^th place: Morgan Cupps

Retail  Merchandising:
2^nd place: David Hood

Financial Services Team:
3^rd place: Aiza Bustos & Hannah Wilson

FBLA:

Troy Ostermann – Business Communication 1st Place

Ben Jamison – Business Math 4th Place

Adriene Davidson – Business Procedures 5th Place

Chase Matthews – Business Procedures 2nd Place

Kelsey Schwenck – Client Service 1st Place

Tabitha Castor and Zoe Seemes – Desktop Publishing 1st Place

Aaron Schultz – Economics 4th Place

Corrine Criswell – FBLA Principles and Procedures 5th Place

Ben Jamison – Introduction to Business Communication 5th Place

Troy Ostermann, Layna Scherff, and Morgan Schroer – Management Decision Making 1st Place

Michael Butterfield and Taylor Gianopulos – Management Information Systems 1st Place

Elise Gertsch – Public Speaking II 1st Place

Jamie Sneed and Diana Ostrovskiy – Website Design 1st Place