DECA is a business club that is not only atMilfordbut is at schools all over the country and in schools all over the world. They compete in role-playing competitions at a district, state, and international level. Joey Walsh, a sophomore at Milford High Schoolwho just completed his first year in DECA didn’t make it to states, but did go to districts. This was Walsh’s first competition. “It’s so exciting with so many people from different schools,”he said. The next competition that will be taking place is States, which takes place in Grand Rapids Michigan on March 15-17, where Milfordwill have the most participants ever having 63.

“States is just like districts except it is more competitive” says Mrs.Sommer a DECA teacher who has been part of the DECA program for 15 years and has always been successful in having kids precede to the states and internationals, internationals is where the real competition begins. If you win at internationals you don’t only win a trophy or medal but you have a chance to win scholarships, you can win a scholarship fromNapaauto parts, JC Penney and many other places. Because of the intense competition at internationals 80% of the competition gets knocked out in the first round. But even if you don’t win anything at states, internationals, or districts you still get something out of it, you build your network and make new friends. Everybody has a chance to go to internationals but when I asked Walsh who he thought has the best chance to go to internationals he told me “I think Thomas Loncar, Wyatt Barnes, and Maria Grigg have the best chance of moving on” but when I asked Mrs.Sommer who she thinks is most likely to move on to internationals she told me “It depends on how well you prepare” and that it is “like looking into a crystal ball”. There are two different parts to these competitions there is the written competition and the role-playing competition. On Friday at states is the written competition, on Saturday is the role-playing competition and then on Sunday is the awards ceremony. The real question though is who is going to make it pasts states and go to internationals inLos AngelesCalifornia.