DECA is an acronym for “Distributive Education Clubs of America.” Founded in 1946, DECA was originally a club for high school marketing students. It quickly grew to encompass other aspects of business as well. Today, DECA boasts “more than 215,000 members in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Canada, China, Germany, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain,” according to their website. In addition to being a club where students who are interested in business can meet other, like-minded individuals, DECA fosters personal growth for high schoolers. It challenges students to learn skills that they will use in their professional lives, and encourages them to become leaders in their community through outreach and networking with local businesses and other community organizations. Tell me more about Capital High School. Opened in 1988, Capital High Schools serves Santa Fe’s growing South Side. Alongside the traditional core classes (English, Math, Science), Capital offers four career pathways to students: Business & Management, Biomedical Sciences, Digital Design and Performing Arts. Capital High is home to over 1200 students. These kids are primarily Hispanic, with approximately 70% receiving free or reduced lunch. While many of our DECA students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, they know the value of hard work. What does Capital High School DECA do for students? Capital DECA benefits our students in three main ways. First, through classroom instruction, it gives kids a general background in all areas of business, including sales, marketing, management, finance and accounting. We also have a school store onsite that is operated and managed entirely by students. Students are responsible for providing customer service, performing cash reconciliation (at the end of their shift), merchandising products, monitoring inventory levels and re-ordering stock as needed. The store serves as a learning lab where students get to develop professional skills, but also where they can design, implement and evaluate marketing plans and conduct other forms of primary research. Second, Capital DECA encourages networking with the local business community. Several times a year, we participate in and even host events where local business people can come and just talk with each other and our students. This helps students to develop interpersonal skills and allows businesses the opportunity to recruit top-notch candidates for positions they may have open. Third, Capital DECA promotes a strong connection to the local community. Each year, our DECA chapter plans and executes various community service events, both inside and out of school. For example, our juniors and seniors work with at-risk freshman on academic and other critical skills to ease their transition into high school. Other examples of past service events include raising money for Muscular Dystrophy, reading with elementary students and teaching computer skills to the recently unemployed.
