Club Spotlight: DECA

October 27, 2026 - Zoriah Hart (9)

As quarter one comes to a close, Houghs’ clubs are beginning to pick up around the school. In DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), a club that develops emerging leaders through business competitions and conferences on the state and national level, the first business competition is rapidly approaching. On November 19th, Hough DECA members will travel to Myers Park for their first competition of the year.  Members will compete at districts, where they will participate in role-plays that allow them to assume the role of an employee or manager, solving a made-up, yet realistic business problem. Prior to this trip, members will also complete a test on their chosen business topic, which will affect their final performance grade.

After the district competition, DECA members who qualify will go on to compete at states, taking place in Greensboro, North Carolina. Qualifiers will compete in another roleplay competition, but members will also have the opportunity to compete in a written event. This requires them to prepare a research paper on their chosen topic ahead of time and present it to judges. Once both events are over, judges grade each participant and then award winners and qualifiers after each event. These events are great for people who enjoy thinking on their feet, solving business problems, and applying their knowledge of their business topic to real-world scenarios.

This year, the written event will include a variety of categories: Business and Operations Research, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, and Integrated Marketing Campaign. 

Whether you're interested in business role-play, written events, business, or just DECA in general, we would love to have you join the club! We invite you to join us during the 2027 club rush or reach out to Ms. Osteen or Ms. Riley for more information.  

Ms. Osteen: katiek.osteen@cms.k12.nc.us

Ms. Riley: deannal.riley@cms.k12.nc.us