News and Announcements

WOW! What a three-day adventure our DECA chapter had at the DECA State Championships!

We opened up the championships on Sunday by being recognized as the fastest-growing chapter in the state with more new members than anyone, as well as having an astonishing 51% of our high school student body participating in DECA! Our record-breaking attendance at SCDC was also recognized by Oregon DECA. It was very exciting to see the kid's enthusiasm and appreciation for the recognition of all of their hard work right from the get-go!

Monday meant role play events and competition time! Dressed to impress, charm and show off that Cavalier swag, our kiddos headed off to the many large ballroom venues to prep, think, strategize and then face their judges! It was fun to see them return to our CAVS Lounge and tell their stories of their experiences, the strategies they employed, which judges scared them, and which ones they felt they connected with!

After a day of tough competition, we gathered for our chapter dinner. Adorned in our DECA swag, the event took on a slightly formal tone as we enjoyed each other’s company, told more stories of the day, enjoyed a good meal, and did a few presentations, including recognizing our Super Bowl 100 Square Game winners (Max Q, Claire R, and Asher F.). We also took a moment to thank our chaperones for all they do to support our DECA chapter!

With a handful of kids recognized at Monday evening's recognition ceremony, the anticipation and excitement grew for Tuesday to be our very own Super Tuesday! And it was! With 28 kids recognized on stage Tuesday night and many automatically qualifying for the national championships (ICDC in Anaheim, CA), CAVS DECA showed up and showed out! Whether individual, team, or project-based events, hardly a moment went by without the beloved sound of “and from Blanchet Catholic….” ringing in our ears and our kids running for the stage while their classmates roared in support! But two special recognitions were particularly noteworthy.

Max Quintero won a statewide competition to design a new logo for Oregon DECA! Competing against hundreds of kids from across the state and a handful of finalists, the 1,000-plus students in attendance gave their input on all of the designs during the vendor fair at SCDC, and Max’s design was chosen as champion! His design will be used by the Oregon ICDC contingent headed to Anaheim in late April for the national championships as well as for further Oregon DECA matters going into the future! What an accomplishment!

Additionally, our very own Tanveer Singh signed off as President of Oregon DECA at the closing ceremony with an incredibly impressive speech, and his two-year tenure as Oregon DECA President is coming to a close. As usual, Tanveer handled it with his well-mannered grace and charm. We are proud of the reputation he built for himself and Blanchet Catholic along the way. He has been nothing short of an impeccable ambassador and stately representative for Oregon and BCS!

In closing, I wanted to thank all of you for supporting our student’s participation in DECA. From learning interview skills to strengthening their public speaking, critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork abilities, the students take home an incredible experience and life skills that will serve them well forever.

Finally, please join me in a huge thank you to our DECA Officers team (Emily Barnett, Holden Prine, Max Quintero, Tanveer Singh, Bill Riecke, Brooklyn Ries, Grace Weber, Joe Beyer, Franchesca Ruiz Romero and Josh Mosar (along with their families) for all of the behind the scenes work they do to ensure a well organized, positive experience, for all of our students in DECA. They are nothing short of incredible!

Written by Club Advisor: Mr. Mark Risen