DECA Junior gives young entrepreneurs a chance to compete

On February 28, the cafeteria was full of grade seven and eight students who were ready for a day of learning competition. Students from across the region showed up at 7:30 AM on their weekend to engage in fun, learning, and competition. It was run by our very own business teachers and DECA chapter volunteers.

As students arrived in the morning, they were split up into teams, each of which was represented by famous business leaders like “Team Musk” or “Team Ambani." Everything kicked off with a video about the business department, followed by team leaders escorting their teams to their first activity.

The "Egg Drop Challenge” was the first team-building project. Competitors were divided into small teams where they had to use an assortment of random materials to build something to protect an egg from cracking. The contraptions were dropped from the same height, and the egg with the least damage won.

“Our egg barely even cracked, but somehow another team’s egg didn’t break at all. They must’ve cheated,” said a grade eight student from Williams Parkway.

The second activity had teams working together to complete random tasks and earn points within 10 minutes. Tasks included making the sounds of the Amazon rainforest, creating nicknames for team members, and building a tower. After this, students got a business lesson from one of our teachers to prepare them for their fast-approaching competition.

Next, it was time for the roleplay competition. Students were called by their teams to present in front of a student volunteer judge. Students had five minutes to read and prepare their roleplay. They were given a business scenario in which they had to take on a role to solve a problem.

“I saw a lot of strong performances from the students that I had the chance of judging,” said Udayvir Sidhu, a grade 12 DECA member.

This was followed by another activity where teams had to sell a product for a purpose it was not traditionally designed for. Some teams sold a “Self-Defense Ford” or an “all-in-one toothbrush."

The day ended with the award ceremony. The top 11 competitors were called on stage, followed by the announcement of the top three. Parents were gathered to snap a memory of their child in this exciting moment. Overall, the day was filled with fun, nervousness, and accomplishment that left a lasting impression on all the attendees.