student Archives -

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s DECA program is the fourth largest chapter in the world. With CDC safety guidelines and virtual learning set in stone for the remainder of this year, DECA has not allowed the circumstances to limit its outreach to students.

Originally, DECA stood for “Distributive Education Clubs of America,” but it is now known only as DECA, a not-for-profit student organization. Since the club is co-curricular, it only includes students enrolled in the Academy of Finance and/or the Hospitality & Tourism programs offered at MSD.

“In the spring when I was appointed to be the president of DECA, I thought I would be sitting back in the classroom,” co-President Lexie Sealy said. “I feel like I am missing out on engaging with our members. I was really looking forward to meeting the freshmen and new members face to face.” MSD’s DECA is around 700 members strong and as a result, it has become a challenge to connect the members when meetings and socials are done through a computer screen with no real interaction. With students learning through computers and staring at screens for hours at a time, it has become hard to engage and involve members.

“It is definitely a challenge for our chapter to connect with one another on virtual platforms, especially with all the technical difficulties that come with virtual events,” co-VP of School Activities Raegan DiRenzo said. “Despite this, I feel we’ve made the best of this situation and have been able to participate in engaging officer bonding events and socials.”

As an incentive for more participation, the club introduced a Girls Who Start chapter for students interested in hearing from female entrepreneurs, along with DECA in the Middle, a program where students from Westglades Middle School could learn about business-related concepts.

“Online learning has really made it hard for us to connect with the middle school kids,” VP of Middle School Relations Ziya Kassam said. “Usually we would be able to talk to the members one on one and be there in person whenever they needed, but this year it’s hard for us to communicate efficiently.”

Typically, DECA students compete at state competition and at the International Career Development Conference, where thousands of DECA students come together to compete and develop knowledge and skills for college and careers. Since competitions will no longer be conducted the same way as years prior, resources such as “Manual Monday” and “Testing Tuesday” are available to students who would like to focus more on preparation.

“It’s important to be prepared for competition,” sophomore LJ Russinoff said.

“Our chapter offers [resources] to ensure that our members are as prepare as possible for their events.”

As a result of eLearning, the DECA officer team and advisors have found ways to collaborate and find solutions for more effective networking, learning, and bonding. Just like other clubs and extracurriculars, establishing connections has become a struggle. The DECA program at MSD has learned to combat this issue with strong teamwork and innovative alternatives.

PERSPECTIVES:
Sharon Cutler – Academy of Finance teacher and DECA advisor

“From a teacher perspective, I had to rethink my lessons and how I’m going to teach with the understanding that students are looking at a computer screen. I am used to having project based learning so having my students still work in projects and with other people is very important to me. I try to look at what I can do instead of what I can’t.”

Lexie Sealy – DECA Co-President

“The biggest challenge is keeping members engaged through a computer screen. We have had to take all the events we do every year and figure out a way to make them virtual and engaging for members. COVID-19 has made this position much more difficult than anticipated, but it is so rewarding to hear positive feedback from the student body.”

Jacob Foster – DECA senior who has gone to state/ICDC competition

“I have competed in state and district competitions every year, and I attended ICDC my sophomore year. Virtual competition is not ideal, but it is understandable since DECA wants to keep everyone safe. My goal this year is to work hard to win at ICDC since this will be my last chance. We have been looking forward to this competition in California since our freshman year, and everyone is hopeful that things will be better in May or April so that we will be able to travel and compete.”

I guess we are all getting older, but occasionally, there is a situation that reinforces the fact that you have become part of the older generation. That situation happened to me this past spring when I was lecturing at Auburn Veterinary School. I was part of a group of speakers talking to the veterinary students about life post-graduation. Speakers from around the country were mentoring young minds, eager to hear about their profession. There is nothing more rewarding.

While I was waiting to speak, I decided to walk around the veterinary school. It was cold outside, so I stayed inside and walked by a man and woman. When I walked by, I could hear them talking about me, and I heard the woman tell the man that she knew me but could not remember where.

I continued to walk around the building when I heard her loudly say down the hall, “she knew it,” and before I knew it, she was walking briskly to catch up to me. She tugged at my jacket and apologized, but she wanted to say hi to me.

She introduced herself as Paulette and said that I might not remember her, but her mother, who recently passed away, was a client, and I would remember Rocko the Rottweiler.

Rocko the Rottweiler was one of a kind. The owner used to call the dog stupid because I performed four exploratory surgeries to remove foreign bodies from his intestines. A little biology lesson here: Rottweilers have large diameter intestines, so a foreign body would have to be large to obstruct Rocko. Interestingly, each of the four foreign body surgeries was for either the husband’s athletic socks or the knot on the end of a large rawhide dog bone. Rocko was one of a kind. He got into the fishing tackle box and got a fishing hook stuck in his tongue, and the one time he went to the beach, he got stung by a jellyfish. Thank god the owner had pet insurance.

Paulette introduced her husband, who also said he recognized me. He told me I probably would not recognize him, but he spent a day shadowing me for a school project when he was in high school. He told me that he was the kid who fainted when watching me in surgery.

I told him that it happened all the time, and he should not be embarrassed. He said that experience changed his career aspirations from wanting to be a human surgeon to pursuing his love for numbers, and now he is an accountant.

It was great to see Paulette and her husband, but it was strange that it happened at a veterinary school in Alabama. I asked her if she was here because her pet was sick. She said she didn’t currently have a pet because she was too busy traveling. So, I had to ask her again, why is she there? My daughter is in Vet school at Auburn, and we are taking her out to dinner after the conference.

So, here is the circle of life. I took care of the grandmother’s dog, and I am lecturing to the granddaughter at veterinary school. Where did the time go? I ended up going to dinner with the happy family and hope to continue to mentor the young veterinary student throughout her career.

Tag: student

DECA perseveres at MSD despite COVID

In the blink of an eye