Instilling essential business skills among all of its participants, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) runs the school store, hosts fundraisers, and delivers exciting, new events to Woodland.
DECA has hosted events and school activities that have brought the Woodland community together to learn and experience business skills, hospitality gestures, communication aptitudes, and the building blocks of a management mindset.
DECA’s fundraisers and charity events have included many annual and one-time events. The annual events include the digital school store that was established in 2015 and a yearly peanut butter and jelly event that gets donated to Saint Vincents DePaul in Waterbury Connecticut. DECA also hosted an annual cornhole tournament until the year 2018 and a “DECAde” trivia night that took place in 2019.
The organization came to Woodland in early December 2014 by Principal Kurt Ogren and students, Eliza Smith, Kristen Persico, and Shannon Pruzinsky. The large group of contributors also included Christopher Tomlin and Mrs. Broadbent. Since then, the program has grown to almost be a “DECAde” old. The saying “DECAde” came from Emma Krushinski, a former Woodland graduate who celebrated the fifth DECA anniversary in late 2019.
DECA has become a popular organization. Each year, a new executive council is elected. This year, Emma Fabrizi bears the position of president within the club. With the help of vice president Ava Cratty, treasurer Emma Swanson, secretary Abby Bunk , and social media director, Ava Muharem, DECA seeks excellence entering the 2022 school year.
President Fabrizi says she is over joyed for the upcoming year and wishes to continue her DECA journey.
“I joined towards November after volleyball season during my first year; that’s when I first got into it. We had our holiday party and a couple more meetings right before Covid hit, but I decided to stick with it.”
DECA has struggled to bring annual events and activities to Woodland because of the pandemic. With the 2022-2023 school year currently in session, DECA members appear exhilarated to hopefully carry these entertaining assemblages, celebrations, and activities back to the school.
This year, DECA plans to hold a Volleyball versus Football volleyball game on Tuesday, December thirteenth. Woodland students are ecstatic about the upcoming event and look forward to the outcome of what DECA has provided.
“I hope the game has a good turnout. Me and Ava Cratty were inspired by the idea all over Tik Tok,” Fabrizi states. “Everyone always says, ‘We can take that volleyball team’ so this is their time to prove it.” DECA has high hopes for attendance at this event.
“Depending on how the volleyball game goes, there will probably be another event similar in the future.”, says Fabrizi. In the past, DECA has had great turnouts.
With DECA’s two seniors leaving this year, Fabrizi is sure that the board will step up to expectations and expand the club to its best standpoint while leaving her messages behind.
“It really is what you make of it, and you can make it happen so let’s do it.”
