Cape students shine at state DECA competition

Cape students garnered many trophies Feb. 1 at the state competition for DECA, the international association of marketing students. Cape delegates included Nikita Patel, Anna Ives-Michener, MaHadaye LeCounte, Zachary Macfarland, Samantha Frederick, Anna Chojnowski, Saorla Hefferan and Casuandra Mrazeck. 

Students had the opportunity to select marketing management topics of interest to compete against other high school students in Delaware. Topics ranged from apparel and accessories to sports and entertainment. Students were given real-life business marketing scenarios in which they needed to present a solution to judges. Delegates had 10 minutes to prepare their oral response. Judges then used a standard rubric to decide award winners.

Cape faced tough competition from many well-established and larger DECA programs in the state and became the surprise name throughout the night due to the efforts of an amazing group of students. MaHadaye LeCounte took first place in Quick Serve Restaurant Management. Zachary Macfarland won first place as a solo entry in a team competition in Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making. Samantha Frederick took third place in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series, one of the most crowded competitions of the day. Anna Chojnowski took third place in Apparel and Accessories Marketing series. Saorla Hefferan and Casuandra Mrazeck took second place in Financial Services Team Decision Making.

An additional surprise victory for Cape students that day included their top four selection for Delaware DECA Entrepreneurship and Innovation Case Study. Over 25 teams submitted entries creating a new and innovative product. Cape’s four-person team had 20 minutes to prepare their product presentation. Cape DECA students may go on to the National DECA Conference in Anaheim, Calif. in April.