In its first year, The Lancaster High School Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Chapter has been awarded the Membership Campaign Achievement for the 2021-2022 school year.
DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares more than 225,000 emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for marketing, finance, hospitality, and management careers.
“We are especially honored and proud of this accomplishment as we pushed hard to earn it as a first-year organization,” said LaJoy Grant, Lancaster High School’s DECA chapter advisor.
DECA recognizes leading chapters in schools that build local programs focused on serving members, advisors, and business partners each year. Grant and the Lancaster High School student leaders have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to DECA.
“This is the first year LHS has had a DECA program. As such, we wanted to focus on the membership campaign to gain members and boost the organization’s visibility on campus,” said Grant.
There are currently more than 3,000 DECA chapters and 450 earned recognition in DECA’s chapter campaigns. Only 775 chapters, including Lancaster High School, earned DECA’s membership campaign recognition.
DECA assists students in developing leadership, networking, and critical thinking skills and prepares students to be in the professional world. It directly ties in with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes offered at Lancaster High School. The campus’s chapter creates real-world problems to solve using the skills gained from CTE courses.
Students in DECA can compete in various competitions depending on their interests and their courses.
Once a student becomes a member, they have access to DECA scholarships. They also have networking through DECA community partners and business partners who provide various opportunities.
Grant says the goal for the chapter for the remainder of the school year is to add members. During the summer months, the chapter will develop campaigns for the 2022-2023 school year, such as School Spirit and School Enterprise.
DECA is open to all Lancaster High School students.
Students who wish to join should contact LaJoy Grant at lajoygrant@lancasterisd.org.