News and Announcements

Bringing Joy to Seniors with GlamourGals at Blanchet Catholic School
At Blanchet Catholic School, we are proud to be part of the GlamourGals Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending elder isolation and building compassionate leaders. GlamourGals connects young volunteers with older adults through beauty makeovers and meaningful companionship. The mission is simple but powerful: to combat loneliness among seniors and nurture kindness and empathy in the younger generation.

Since September 2024, Blanchet Catholic School has been honored to have its own chapter of GlamourGals. Our student volunteers visit a local senior living community, The Springs at Lancaster Village, offering not just beauty services like manicures, but also a warm, caring presence. Activities like bingo, making friendship bracelets, and, of course, sharing conversations, have quickly become regular highlights of our time together with the seniors. It's truly heartwarming to see the bonds that form during these moments of connection.

A Special February Activity: Flower Arrangements and Pottery Vases
As we began planning our February activity for the GlamourGals chapter, our officers brainstormed ways to bring something special to the seniors. After much thought, we decided to host a flower arrangement event. It seemed like the perfect way to bring a burst of color and joy to the residents of The Springs.

But one of our members, Nina Guhra, an exchange student from Germany, had a brilliant idea. Nina suggested that we ask our pottery class to make custom vases for the flowers, so each senior could take home a beautiful, handmade vase along with their floral arrangement. It was an idea that sparked excitement among the group, and we were thrilled to bring it to life.  Thanks to Nina’s suggestion and the creativity of our amazing pottery teacher, Mrs. Garaventa, we had forty custom-made vases ready to gift to the seniors. The vases were as unique as the flowers we would arrange, adding a personal touch to every experience.

Creating Lasting Memories
On the day of the event, our students and the seniors gathered together to create beautiful flower arrangements. It was a truly special experience to see the seniors carefully arranging the blooms, with the students by their side, offering conversation, laughter, and companionship. It was clear that the connection went beyond just the flowers—these moments of shared creativity and joy were the real gift.
The pottery vases added an extra layer of thoughtfulness. Each senior left with a vase that they could keep, serving as a reminder of the care and love shared that day. The seniors were touched, and our students left feeling fulfilled, knowing they had brought a little extra happiness into the lives of the residents.

A Bright Future for GlamourGals at Blanchet Catholic School
As the GlamourGals chapter at Blanchet Catholic School continues to grow, we are excited to plan future activities and strengthen the connections between our students and the seniors at Th Springs.  The February flower arrangement event, with its custom pottery vases, will be a memory cherished by both the seniors and our volunteers.

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful program, and we look forward to bringing even more smiles and meaningful interactions to our seniors through the GlamourGals Foundation. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the simplest acts of kindness—whether through a manicure, a bouquet of flowers, or a conversation—can make the biggest difference in someone’s day.

Thank you to all who made this special event possible, and a special shout-out to Nina, Mrs. Garaventa, and all our volunteers for their enthusiasm and dedication!

Blanchet's DECA mission statement is “to give all members the ability to grow in an honest and challenging environment.”  DECA is primarily a co-curricular activity where students learn to conduct marketing research projects, promotion plans, and start-up businesses, and encounter realistic workplace challenges.  The experience-based activities require students to use both basic and higher academic skills such as writing, math, economics, social science, communication, presentation, research, and data analysis.

The pinnacle of Oregon DECA is the State Career Development Conference (SCDC).  Nearly 1,000 students from all over Oregon attend to compete for an opportunity to advance to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC).  Aside from competition, this three-day conference includes many networking opportunities, leadership sessions, and a chance to create lasting friendships among chapter members.

Reaching a membership milestone this year with 72 Cavaliers in Blanchet's DECA chapter, the students underwent a season of practices and a district competition held at Blanchet to prepare them for the state competition. Blanchet then took our largest contingent ever, over 49 students, to the 3-day DECA SCDC conference in Portland.  At the state championships, six of our students earned guaranteed spots at ICDC; they are Tanveer Singh, Nhi Huynh, Paola Diaz-Hermosillo, Holden Prine, Max Quintero, and Koren Ickes-Amend.  Blanchet's Community Outreach Project, The Open Minded Project, led by Paola, Tanveer, and Nhi, earned a first-place spot that will take them to ICDC!  Holden Prine and Max QUintero also stood atop the podium with their business development project for a total of five Cavalier state champions at this year's SCDC!

More honors were also earned as twenty Cavaliers finished in the top 10 in the state of Oregon in their respective competitions, ten Cavaliers placed 4th through 8th in their events and were honored with a medal, and thirty-eight placed in the top 25 competitors for their event(s) at SCDC!  Over twenty Blanchet students placed in multiple events and eight new Cavalier DECA members placed in their principle (novice) events!

Additionally, thirteen Cavaliers qualified for nationals and will attend ICDC from April 21 to 26 in Orlando, Florida.  The Cavalier contingent to Florida includes Elisabeth Fromwiller, Abby Webber, Holden Prine, Max Quintero, Claire Raffensperger, Raquelle Hendrix, Ben Alley, Nhi Huynh, Carter Mucken, Tanveer Singh, Brooklyn Ries, Grace Weber, and Koren Ickes-Amend.

We are also very proud to announce that Blanchet junior, Tanveer Singh, was re-elected as Oregon DECA"s President for 2023-2024.  Oregon DECA officers are elected by their peers at SCDC and represent Oregon's membership.  The State Officer team develops a program of work aligned to the strategic goals of DECA.    Throughout the year, the team interacts with the membership to implement and enhance DECA programs. Congratulations to Tanveer as he represents Blanchet and the DECA community in this role!

Small Chapter, Big Results

What is DECA?

DECA is an international nonprofit organization for students studying marketing, management, and entrepreneurship in secondary schools. DECA is endorsed by the US Department of Education and chartered through state departments of education. 

DECA is primarily a co-curricular activity where students conduct marketing research projects, promotion plans, start-up businesses, and encounter realistic workplace challenges. The experience-based activities require students to use both basic and higher academic skills such as writing, math, economics, social science, communication, presentation, research, and data analysis. 

DECA is a fun way to take what is learned across all classroom subjects and put it to practical use. Students first learn the basics of business attire, handshakes, and etiquette. From there they can choose from a broad range of competitive categories based on their interests. Most beginners compete in business case study role plays, where they are given a real-life business problem and must come up with a plan of action that they present to a judge. Other advanced projects require months of research and preparation to complete before the State competition, which is at the end of February every year. Finally, DECA is an opportunity for students to network with others from all over Oregon at the State level, and around the world at the International level. Blanchet has had an active chapter since 2006. 

2020 DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC):

This February, Blanchet brought 29 students to SCDC. To be eligible to attend the conference, students must prepare by taking practice tests and business case study role plays. These practices paid off with multiple awards on stage at the Grand Awards session. Members Lila Bray and Brooke Foresee will continue on to compete at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), held in Nashville April 29 - May 2. 

Update: ICDC has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are sure to see some of these students as qualifiers next year.

SCDC Results:

Lila Bray (10), Ripley Carson (10) & Brooke Foresee (10) - 3rd place written business operations research project

Lauren Kennedy (11) - 4th place overall finalist - business case study and exam, Apparel & Accessories Marketing

Abby Weber (9) - 4th place overall finalist - business case study and exam, Principles of Hospitality & Tourism

Sienna Abbott (11) - 4th place overall finalist - business case study and exam, Quick Serve Management

Brooke Foresee (10) - 2nd place in business case study #2, Human Resources Management

Ellie Fromwiller (9) - 2nd place in business case study #2, Restaurant & Food Service Management

James Moore (12) - 3rd place in business case study #2, Sports & Entertainment Marketing

Other notable results include: Sam Schindler (10) - 11th place overall, Business Finance; James Moore (12) - 11th place overall, Retail Merchandising; Max Hoskins (10) - 6th place in business case study, Hotel & Lodging Management; Aliya Suri (11) - 5th place in business case study, Retail Merchandising; Emma Snawder (11) - 10th place in business case study, Retail Merchandising; Randy Gilland (11) - 8th place in exam; and Kayla Greenwood (11) - 7th place in exam.