Advisors: Mrs. Cogan (who runs the morning meetings) and Mrs. Price (who runs the afternoon meetings).

Meetings: Wednesday mornings and afternoons, but members only need to attend one. This allows students involved in after school  activities to participate in DECA.

Place: S221 and S225, one of the business classrooms.

On Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9, Northport High School will be set up for the annual holiday craft fair run by the NHS DECA club. DECA, formerly an acronym for “Distributive Education Clubs of America,” is geared towards students who are enrolled in a Business Education course, or have a general interest in the world of business. Under the advisory of business teachers Kristen Cogan and Liz Price, and the leadership of the student officers, DECA participates in regional, state, and national competitions, all designed with the goal of creating a passion for business within student participants, through various topics including, but certainly not limited, to marketing, management, and  accounting.

As stated above, DECA is mainly aimed towards business students, especially those enrolled in the intense Academy of Finance program. DECA is a competition based club, and therefore it doesn’t meet regularly, but only as needed. These meetings take place on Wednesday mornings and afternoons in room S221, enabling all students to participate regardless of their commitments. Mrs. Cogan runs the morning meetings, while Mrs. Price leads the afternoon ones. The meetings are about a half an hour long, and during this time the advisors reflect on recent competitions (“congratulations,” “we need to work on this,” etc), and discuss upcoming competitions and events like the the Craft Fair and High School Heros.

Aside from the Craft Fair and High School Heroes, DECA’s main focus is on their competitions. These include Regionals, States, and Nationals. DECA also participates in the Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce Competition (YPCC) in November. Advisor Kristen Cogan said that she particularly enjoys the YPCC Competition because “the students are asked to solve a problem in advance using creativity and innovation and then present it to judges in that industry.” In fact, last year’s competition focused on strategies for marketing the new hotel in downtown Northport. Mrs. Cogan also said that she likes the state level competition, mentioning that the students “spend a few days together” and “meet students from other schools,” all while performing “role plays in front of judges.” This year, Mrs. Cogan would like to see more non-competitive events (like High School Heroes) take place. High School Heroes is the name of the event where DECA members travel to Norwood Avenue and Bellerose Avenue Elementary Schools and act as “teachers” for the day, introducing the young children to basic business concepts.

Whether you’re a math student, or an athlete who has a deep passion for sports, there is an aspect of business that can be applied. In DECA, students compete with business topics  that interest them. From hospitality, sports marketing, and retail merchandising, to finance, management, and accounting, everyone can find a place in DECA!