Juniors Austin Boese and Olesya Plukchi received perfect scores on their role plays for Wenatchee High School at the Jan. 12 DECA, an association of marketing students, Area 10 Career Development Conference.

More than 400 students from 12 different high schools in Washington state traveled to the Yakima Convention Center to compete. Of those, 22 WHS students returned home with a first place in both the individual and management team events. Out of all 67 Wenatchee DECA students, 51 qualified and will be moving on to the State Career Development Conference.

Boese competed in automotive services and Plukchi competed in hospitality services with her partner, junior Edan Patterson. Here is a list of all 22 WHS winners:

Accounting Applications; freshman Alex Rodriguez, Advertising Campaign; junior Alex Haugan, Automotive Services; Boese, Business Law and Ethics Team; seniors Miles Letts-Brandt and Wallace O’Donnell, Business Services; junior Chase Davidson, Buying and Selling Merchandising Team; freshmen Chris Danko and Camden Gilliver, Entrepreneurship Franchising Plan; sophomore Vivian Noyd, Fashion Merchandising Promotion Plan; junior Israel Sixto, Food Marketing; junior Abby Davison, Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling; freshman Amy Graves, Hospitality Services Team; Patterson and Plukchi, Human Resource; junior Kori Martin, Marketing Management; senior Matthew Tangeman, Professional Selling; freshman Dillon Goodell, Quick Service Restaurant Management; Noyd, Sports and Entertainment Marketing; freshman Charlie Cutter, Sports and Entertainment Plan; freshman Jack Yount, Sports and Entertainment Team; freshmen Austin Blakney and Robert Jorgensen, Travel and Tourism Team; freshmen Connor Tilly and Mac Noble.

“[It was] a good day and a true testament to how hard the students work and what they were able to do,” Pakinas said.

Teachers and students alike feel that this is one of the better years for DECA, Patterson said. Many of the younger competitors have had an outstanding year.

“We have a lot of first and second years. A really good mix,” Boese said.

There are two types of events held at this conference; prepared event and role play. The top three who place in prepared event and the top four who place in role play move on to the State Career Development Conference.

The 67 WHS DECA students had been prepared for this conference for months. Individuals competing in the prepared event had been constructing their 15 to 30 page folders on business-related topics, whether it be franchising entrepreneurship or advertising campaigns. DECA teacher Matthew Pakinas was having his students perfect their prepared projects, practice using role play scenarios, and complete assigned cluster exams. On Jan. 11 a mock conference was organized at Wenatchee High School, complete with judges, proper attire, and correct timing regulations.

All of the State qualifiers are really looking forward to competing on Mar. 5-7 where they will have a chance to qualify for Nationals, International Career Development Conference, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., on April 25-28.