Daily DECA

Enfield High DECA’s Zip Line to Success
Jamie Cunningham, DECA VP

           On Tuesday, October 1st, Enfield High’s DECA club combined with Fermi’s DECA club, and students from Notre Dame High School, to take a trip to Empower in Middletown, Connecticut. The objective of the day was to push yourself out of your comfort zone, face your fears, and learn good team building and leadership skills.  

            Once we all arrived, we were split up into two groups. Each group had even amounts of students from Enfield High, Fermi and Notre Dame. The first group stayed on the ground to participate in team building activities. Each student was asked to introduce themselves other students they did not know. After we introduced ourselves to three other people, we moved over to an obstacle course. We were divided into 3 groups, and in three groups we had to work together and plan how to make it through each obstacle. We had to apply the five essential steps to demonstrate good leadership we had just learned: identify the problem, understand what the final solution should be, determine the critical information, assign roles, and be able to quickly change their plan of action if a problem arose. Each team employed all these strategies and was able to complete the course with great success.

            The second group faced the challenge of the Zip line course. The first platform was crowded with nervous and unsure students, scared to face the first challenge: pushing themselves off the platform. The first zip line was crossed with many students who let out a few screams. The second platform was filled with students who were a little more confident, and more excited to fly through the woods on the second zip line.  We were faced with a choice at the third zip line: bridges or cargo net? The students who picked bridges had to cross a bridge and maintain their balance, and try not to swing the bridge too much. The students who picked the cargo net first climbed across the cargo net, and then crossed across the tight rope wire maintaining their balancing with the aid of hanging ropes above them to guide them across. After those obstacles there were two more zip lines, and then we were back on the ground! Some students were more nervous than others, but the more confident students cheered on and supported the other people in the group. The fear of beginning the obstacle, and the excitement of overcoming it created bonds throughout the entire group.

            Every student on the field trip overcame their fears and completed the zip lining, as well as completing to obstacle course using team work and leadership skills. The Enfield High DECA club walked away with the knowledge of new leadership skills and how to employ them, and the confidence to know they could go out of their comfort zones and face their fears.

Working at the Car Wash!
Jamie Cunningham DECA VP

                On September 29th, Enfield High’s DECA club held a car wash at the Raffia Road Plaza in Enfield, Connecticut. The car wash was a fundraiser to subsidize a marketing/DECA convention trip to Florida in February 2014.  Due to the generosity of parents, family members, former students and their parents we were able to raise $1100!

                Many students, both junior and seniors, participated working in shifts between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.   They help set up, work the car wash, and clean up afterwards.  Half the students washed the cars, while the remaining students stood next to the streets with posters and baskets encouraging people to go to the carwash, or to donate money.  On top of the money raised at the car wash, the students raised money by selling $5 tickets to friends and family members the weeks leading up to the car wash.

 

Upset at the Enfield High Powder-Puff Football Game
Jamie Cunningham, DECA VP

            On Saturday, October 19, 2013 Enfield High held their annual Powder-puff football game. The junior girls played the senior girls in a flag football game under the lights on the turf while the senior and junior boys were the cheerleaders.

            For the first time in 5 years, the juniors won with a final score of 28-23. All the girls did a really great job, and had a lot of fun!  The senior cheerleaders also did a great job. All dressed up and created half-time entertainment. They held a dance off at half-time against the junior cheerleaders. The dance off included killer dance moves, back flips- and even a split!  The senior boys won the title for "Best Male Cheerleaders".

            Former principal, Mr. Duffy, came back to officiate the game with Mr. Sargalski.  Both did a great job, making the calls fair on both ends and making the game a good time for all. 

            All the proceeds from ticket sales that night went to the Enfield Food Shelf. Between parents coming to cheer their kids on, and students cheering their friends on, we raised close to $1,000 for them! It was a rewarding, fun and successful night!

             

Enfield High DECA’s Orlando Adventure
Jamie Cunningham, DECA VP
            
              
From February 4th to February 9th 2014, 20 students from Enfield High’s DECA club will be taking an adventure to Orlando, Florida for the DECA Sports and Entertainment Marketing Conference.  While at the conference, the students will participate in a hands-on case study which is designed for the students to use the information they have learned from professional speakers and their park experience.

            The conference will also touch upon concepts taught in their marketing classes. The marketing executives at the conference will help the students: describe target marketing in sports and entertainment marketing, along with the various pricing issues and explain advertising media utilized in the sports and entertainment industry. Students will also explore the specific career opportunities in the sports and entertainment medias, demonstrate their understanding of licensing and how licensing impacts this industry.  Students will be exposed to how the demand of information is acquired and identify "out-of-box" sale promotion ideas for events with sports and entertainment, identify different ways to segment sports/entertainment markets, and measure economic influence of sports/entertainment events.