Story courtesy of Grand County High School
Six Grand County High School students in business education are being recognized for their outstanding achievements in a regional championship this year.
The Grand County Board of Education presented the students with certificates of achievement at its regular meeting on Feb. 17 for participation in the DECA Club competition held in January.
The DECA Club is part of the high school's business program in Career and Technical Education (CTE). CTE students learn skills in high school to prepare them for successful careers in competitive job markets.
Grand County High School's champions included three first place winners. DECA Club president and senior Diego Winn earned first place in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing competition. Winn gave an introduction to the board and presented each of the other club members and announced their competition placements. Senior Pat Pakkarato placed first in Hospitality and Tourism. Freshman Liam Clark placed first in Entrepreneurship.
Tenth-grader Lillian Scott placed second in the Apparel and Accessories competition. Eleventh-grader Kaistin Oliver, who is running to be the state-level DECA Central Region Vice President, placed second in Principles of Marketing. Freshman Alex Mascaro placed third in Business and Service Marketing. The board also recognized DECA Club Advisor Cayden Black for achieving outstanding student success and leadership as the CTE business teacher overseeing the DECA Club.
Mr. Black told the board the club is growing in Utah and there are several thousand members statewide. Students at Grand County High School interested in business are encouraged to join the club. Grand County High School's DECA Club currently has 12 members.
Grand County High School Principal Dr. Mary Marable commended the CTE program success.
"Grand County High School's CTE programs offer real-world and career-skilled opportunities for our students to meet the needs of our changing societal demands," said Dr. Marable. "CTE is a great opportunity for career-based experiences coupled with academics, offering greater choices for students and their futures. The CTE experiences offer our students a wide variety of skills and experiences to assist in their transitions from high school to the workforce or to continue their studies at the next level."
The DECA Club is currently fundraising to help support a student scholarship. The students' goal is to raise enough local funds to present a Grand County High School student with a scholarship next year. If you are interested in donating to the club, call the high school office or Mr. Black at 435-259-8931.
Photo:
DECA Club members pictured left to right: Alex Mascaro, Diego Winn, Liam Clark, Kaistin Oliver, Lillian Scott, Pat Pakkarato, DECA Club Advisor Mr. Cayden Black.
[Photo courtesy of Grand County School District]