DECA Month School Based Promotional Activities

Professional Dress Day

Wichita East DECA members engaged in Professional Dress Day on the 27^th of November, where members were encouraged to dress professionally to school. This school outreach helped to raise awareness of DECA as many students and teachers questioned the members’ outfits.  DECA’s social media accounts were used to remind and encourage members to dress up. Professional Dress Day not only allowed students to look great, but also helped inform other students and teachers alike about DECA.

DECA T-Shirt Day

Wichita East DECA concentrated our DECA Month activities into one week. The highlight of that week for paid members was the delivery of our chapter t-shirts. We scheduled Thursday, November 29, as our first DECA t-shirt day of the year. This gives our chapter the opportunity to show our strength in numbers as a large club on campus. It also shows our lighter side since we typically choose fun designs for our t-shirts (and professional dress day was just two days prior). We had several students pay dues during DECA week just to be sure they received their t-shirts in time for t-shirt day. 

To show of our new shirts, DECA members were encouraged to report in front of the building for a quick group photo at the start of our lunch period.

Teacher/Staff Appreciation

Teacher Appreciation Day is a tradition that Wichita East DECA has always held during DECA Week. As DECA members we recognize that our absences from school and involvement in DECA projects and activities often put a strain on the teachers in our other classes. We want to thank our teachers for their support both in their classes and encouragement to be successful in DECA. 

After school on Thursday, November 29, DECA members met to put together a small surprise including hot cocoa, candy, school pens/pencils, and spirit buttons. We placed these treats on each teacher and staff member’s desk after they had left for the day so that they would be greeted with a surprise Friday morning. The staff overwhelmingly responded positively to our gesture.

Alumni Success Stories

Lily Wu is a Wichita East Class of 2003 graduate. She was a three year member and served as Kansas DECA President her senior year in high school. Lily graduated summa cum laude with two degrees from Wichita State University in 2007 earning a bachelor's of business administration in international business and a bachelor's of arts in integrated marking communication. Upon graduation Lily went on to earn a master's in journalism from the University of Hong Kong, while being a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Asia. Lily is currently a reporter for KAKE-TV, the ABC affiliate, in Wichita, Kansas. She is active in our community volunteering her time for a variety of organizations. Lily credits the marketing skills and presentation skills she learned during her DECA years for helping her in college and in beyond.

Blake Phillips graduated from Wichita East High School in December of 2007 and in the fall of 2008 he traveled to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in entertainment writing. Upon his initial arrival he began working as an un-paid intern and through hard work and long hours worked his way up to the Associate Producer position of his first full-length feature film. In the meantime Blake began producing and financing his own pilot that he wrote while at East High School. Although the pilot was shot on high-quality cameras, and was well developed & casted, the financing was lacking for the most crucial phase in production, editing. Meetings, sweat-equity, dinner parties and a series of fortunate good luck, led him to partnering with successful entrepreneurs that believed in his vision for a project he had been developing over the past six months; WHITE T. After preparing a proper budget and business plan, he was awarded with an investment to begin pre-production and principle photography on his first created by: feature film. Nearly three years later, White T is complete and is preparing a theatrical release in 20 states across the U.S. Blake has prepared a follow-up sequel as well as a complete first-season television sitcom in which he plans to shoot in Wichita some time soon. Blake credits DECA and the marketing classes he took in high school for igniting his passion in business. Blake’s recommendations would be to get these students involved in business classes, marketing, and DECA even earlier. He says “I can’t imagine functioning in the business world today without the fast-track this program put me on.”

Saad Syed graduated from Wichita East High School in 2008 and is currently in school studying Aerospace Engineering. While he works as a Product Analyst/IT Lead for an ecommerce company, he’s in the midst of jump starting both Saad Syed Designs and Saad Syed Photography. He gives DECA credit for exposing him to marketing experiences he uses daily in his current position as they search for new products, experiment with new products, create marketing campaigns, and keep up with market demands. DECA is also part of what gave Saad the confidence and experience necessary to get his own small businesses up and running. Saad’s favorite memory about DECA the time he spent at ICDC in Atlanta in 2008.

EAST DECA SENDS GIFTS AND CARDS TO U.S.A. SOLDIERS

Wichita East DECA members congregated in the East Library on the 27 of November to create cards and gather items to send to our troops for the holidays.

Fifty six students attended the meeting, with additional members submitting donations and cards outside of the meeting. The cards were filled with gratitude for the troops' service and wishes for a happy holiday. By the end of the week, DECA indicates they had collected over 60 cards.

Donations included 60 personal care items (lotion and sanitation wipes) for the troops, as well as $110 to purchase additional personal care items.

As of November 30, the Wichita East DECA Chapter has 77 student members.

DECA is an international organization that prepares students for activities and business careers involving hospitality, marketing, finance, accounting and management. Members of the 2012-13 Wichita East DECA Chapter have seen widespread success throughout the school year, with many students placing in competitions and going out of state to compete and attend conferences. If you would like to join DECA, contact Mrs. Zimmerman or Mr. Reith, advisors of East High DECA.

For more information about this service project contact Rachael Manske (rachael_manske@yahoo.com) or Tyler Vannavong (tyler.vannavong@gmail.com).

FCDC

Kansas DECA

Fall Leadership Conference

Wichita East DECA sent 26 members to the conference! Students learned about DECA, practiced competitive events, and spent time team building and networking with DECA members from across the state.

Check WEDECA on facebook and twitter for conference pictures and updates!