Among the variety of extracurricular activities and clubs supported through LHS, one particular club emphasizes the preparation for life after high school while breeding leadership, team and networking skills. DECA is one of a kind; its inducement of personal growth and problem solving strategies combine to form a widespread connection of students in all 50 of the U.S. states as well as 10 other countries – a total of over 215,000 participating high school students.

While lesson plans may differ from state-to-state and country-to-country, DECA’s main focus for the second semester at LHS is aimed towards its international trip and state conference. By competing in role-play events to solve real-world problems, students are able to adequately examine five different career clusters: marketing, business management and administration, hospitality and tourism, finance and entrepreneurship. If a student places in an event that falls in one of these career clusters, he/she qualifies to go to the international conference: a highly-respected trip that all DECA members aspire towards.

During the week of April 20, DECA traveled to Atlanta, GA for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). The purpose of the trip was to compete against other DECA members from other schools and network with people from all areas of the world. LHS DECA chapter president, sophomore Genna Sheriff, attended the weeklong event, which brought over 19,000 members together.

“Everywhere we went, we saw DECA members from all over and were able to talk with them,” said Sheriff. “It was a really cool opportunity to be able to meet so many new people while having a lot of fun at the same time.”

While learning more about other DECA members and socializing with other schools contribute a large part to DECA’s purpose, competing against others helps high schools gain recognition for the members’ skills learned through the program. One member of LHS DECA, junior Mariah Lorenzen, won a medal for top role-play at the event.

“It has been awhile since someone from South Dakota has been on stage and received an award due to how small we are compared to other states,” said Sheriff. “We don’t have it as a class and don’t get the same amount of time to practice and prepare like other people do, so it was really exciting to hear that someone from LHS got an award.”

DECA gives students across the world opportunities that no other clubs or classes do. Having the capability of expanding knowledge, learning and creativity through the distribution of DECA’s networks provide members with a lasting impact on their high school, college and after-college careers.

“[DECA] has helped me grow as a leader by helping me strengthen my public speaking skills and teaching me how to work better on a team,” said Sheriff. “DECA has provided me with lots of opportunities that I am so grateful for and I am excited to see what other opportunities it provides me with these next few years.”