Congratulations to the following students on their outstanding performance at the DECA District Competition. Students who placed First-Fourth achieved the honor of qualifying for the DECA State Competition at the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri. All of the students competed very hard and were proud of their performances at districts and state.

First Place

Automotive Services Marketing – Mirza Catic

Sports & Entertainment Team – Jasmin Karic and Cole Cissell

Quick Serve Restaurant Management – Madison Allen

“I felt very good placing first considering the fact that we were one spot away from the state competition last year,” said Cole Cissell, Senior. “I couldn’t have done it without my boy Jaz (Jasmin Karic).”

Second Place

Quick Serve Restaurant Management – John Groves

Learn & Earn Project – Adil Selimovic & Amina Kopic-Osmanovic

Financial Consulting – Haris Becirovic

Business Law & Ethics – Logan Merz and Ajla Mujkic

“I was excited once I found out that I made it to state and very surprised as well,” said John Groves, Junior.

“I felt proud that I qualified for state because this was my first time ever competing in a DECA competition,” said Haris Becirovic, Senior.

Third Place

Start-Up Business Plan – Ashley Wicks

Principles of Hospitality – Almedin Sahbaz

Principles of Marketing – Aldin Jugovic

Business Finance – Carson Daily

Sports & Entertainment Marketing – Admir Jahic

“Honestly I was surprised that I did this well, but I felt very accomplished for finishing third and making it to state,” said Admir Jahic, Senior.

Fourth Place

Leadership – Colin Hurt

Automotive Services marketing – Almir Alagic

Human Resources Management – Taylor Durham

“This was my first competition for DECA so I didn’t know how well I was going to do,” said Taylor Durham, Senior. “I was surprised but also very excited that I placed fourth and qualified for state.”

Finalist

Business Finance – Adil Selimovic

Business Services Marketing – Ryan Ngo

Restaurant & Food Services – Colin Hurt

Sports & Entertainment Marketing – Ries Moredock

Automotive Services – Enis Junuzovic

Hospitality Services Team – Carter Geile & Natalia Cuetara

“Since it was my first year, I was very surprised I did that well,” said Ries Moredock, Senior. “Anyone considering going into the business worlds needs to do this because it is great for networking.”

“Districts was fun and it was a great learning experience,” said Carter Geile, Senior.

“I was very surprised about my performance but I felt very good about placing,” said Natalia Cuetara, Senior.

    Although not every student that competed placed in the competition, there were still many that felt great about having that experience.

    “I learned a valuable lesson from this event, but it was very fun and wasn’t what I expected,” said Bekir Crncevic, Senior

    “It was okay, however I was disappointed that I didn’t qualify for state,” said Ajay Rana, Senior.

For one senior, the morning of the event didn’t turn out the way she had planned it.

    “I actually crashed my car into Mrs. Spitz the morning of districts and ended up going home, it was pretty crazy,” said Sheyla Obic, Senior.

    These competitions can be very beneficial for students who wish to pursue a career in the business world. It sets them up to compete in real world business situations and goes far beyond just competing against one another.

    “It is a very good opportunity for students to show off what they know,” said Angela Spitznagel, Marketing Teacher. “More importantly, it is great networking for the students and allows them to meet with others and also colleges that they could potentially become associated with.”

    With many students qualifying for the state competition this year it will be a standard to achieve the same amount or even greater in next years event.