March 15, 2019 12:26pm CT
ETHS students participated in the 2019 Illinois State Career Development DECA Competition.
In March 2019, 38 students from Evanston Township High School competed in the annual Illinois DECA Career Development Conference, which hosted more than 1,500 high school students. Out of the 38 ETHS team members, 24 students placed among the top three for their respective competitive events and have the opportunity to compete at the International DECA Competition in April.
Every year, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) invites students to compete in business/entrepreneurship activities through business role-play situations, taking business-oriented exams, presenting written research projects and public relations campaigns, and delivering pitches for new business concepts.
The following ETHS students qualified in their written event:
Nick Perruffel and Sophie Perruffel - 1st Place; Buying & Merchandising Business Operations focusing on corporate social responsibility for Vineyard Vines.
Tamara Guy and Mika Parisien - 1st Place; Community Service Project focusing on Connections for the Homeless.
Lila Garfield - 2nd Place; Creative Marketing Plan focusing on Sea Ranch.
Owen Goldsmith and Will O’Brien - 1st Place; Creative Marketing Plan focusing on Edzo’s Burger Shop.
Katie Holland and Nancy Maguire - 1st Place; Finance Operations Research focusing on corporate social responsibility for Chase Bank, located in Evanston.
Maya Feaheny Moskal - 2nd Place; Franchise a Business Plan focusing on purchasing franchise rights for Fire House Grill.
Nate Landolt and Michael Schroeder - 1st Place; Franchise a Business Plan focusing on purchasing franchise rights for Northshore Acupuncture.
Emily Ho and Anna Taufen - 1st Place; Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research Event focusing on corporate social responsibility for Bennison’s Bakery.
Connor Falls and Max Morton - 1st Place; Independent Business Plan focusing on creating their own business, Brainfood, that allows working parents to work in a place where their children can take educational classes while the parents enjoy a healthy meal.
Genevieve Fleming and Ellie Gavelek - 3rd Place; Independent Business Plan focusing on creating their own business, Redesign Your Style, that allows customers to take a style quiz and submit a piece of furniture, or clothing, that they are no longer interested in to be redesigned to fit their style.
Megan Bezaitis - 1st Place; International Business Plan focusing on the development of a business plan for All of the Oil, based out of Greece. Megan developed a business where individuals can purchase authentic olive oil fresh from the olive trees on her family’s tree farm.
Heera Imran - 1st Place; Public Relations Project focusing on creating awareness and educating students on the Muslim Educational Center and what it has to offer.
Zoe Cvetas and Makenna Hirsch-Arnett - 1st Place; Sports and Entertainment Operations Research Event focusing on corporate social responsibility for Quad Indoor Sports.
David Hodges and Ethan Wernikoff - 3rd Place; Development of their own locally sourced grocery store, Evanston Seasons. This store features seasonal foods from farms around Evanston and Chicago.
Additionally, four students placed in the top 10 for their respective competitive events, including:
Megan Bezaitis - Automotive Services (role-play event)
Max Morton and Nico Wertheimer – Hospitality & Tourism Team Decision Making (role-play event)
Darius Johnson - Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan Development of a mobile application to help ease the college application process (written event)
The International DECA competition will host over 20,000 students from across the United States and other countries such as Mexico, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, China, and Germany.
