214@100: Students crack the podium at DECA nationals
District 214 can boast many successful DECA students over many decades, but it wasn't until 2014 the district broke through the invisible barrier and had two podium finishers at the International Career Development Conference.
The triumph belonged to John Hersey High School students Elizabeth Niersbach and Halle Lyon, who finished third in the country in the travel and tourism team decision-making category. This year, the duo went back and earned second place.
In April 2015, 15 DECA (formerly known as Distributive Education Clubs of America) students qualified for the national conference in Orlando.
In addition to Lyon and Niersbach, four other students qualified for the finals in their events, setting a new Hersey record.
Carolyn Niersbach and Amanda Mix were finalists in the hospitality services category. The duo finished in the top 10 in 2013. Jack Marshall and Karthik Ravi won the state championship in the Business Law & Ethics category and finished fourth nationally.
All in all, District 214 is pleased with the level of skill-building students are doing, which is showing up well in the state and national DECA competitions.