On May 17, girls and their fathers walked through a gold tinsel curtain and into an enchanted high school. Once through the double doors, attendees were greeted and directed to the commons, where they were met with an ice cream bar, a Parsons photo shoot, face painting, assorted games, and the dance floor.

DECA hosted its first father-daughter dance to raise money for the Wenatchee DECA chapter. Profits from the dance will be put towards paying for DECA fees, DECA registration, and students participating in competitions. The dance was open to the school district and sold a total of 91 tickets. Most of the attendees were elementary school students and their fathers. DECA advertised the dance by passing out fliers at various elementary schools.

The decorations for the theme, Beauty and the Geek, and the ice cream were donated by community businesses. The Art Club volunteered to run the face painting table. The assorted games across from the dance floor included a princess version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, a ring toss, knock down the bottles games.

“We got the father-daughter dance idea from DECA programs around the state,” senior Public Relations Coordinator Catherine Ross said. “It was very successful for the first year. Hopefully it will gain a following through the years.”

DECA Adviser Matthew Pakinas said he’d been considering hosting the dance for a few years now.

“[The dance] really focused on community outreach. It wasn’t just a high school or DECA club event,” Pakinas said. “I’m really excited for next year and making it an annual event.”

“The most important part wasn’t making the money, but the memories for girls and their dads,” Ross said. “At the end, people were coming up to [DECA students] and shaking our hands. That was really rewarding. It was a good way to judge how successful the dance was.”