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Appleton East DECA students highlight CTE month, competitions and paid internship
Summary
Appleton East DECA officers and advisers told the school board about Career and Technical Education (CTE) activities during Career and Technical Education Month, including competitive qualifiers, a gold‑certified school store that auto‑qualified a student for international competition and a newly paid internship for the school store.
Appleton East DECA officers and their advisers made a presentation to the Appleton Area School District board on Feb. 10, detailing Career and Technical Education opportunities at Appleton East High School during February's CTE month and updates on competitions and student programs.
The officers described DECA's three pillars — community service, social events and competition — and outlined hands‑on learning available through business, marketing, technology and family consumer science classes. Stephanie Fudi, Appleton East DECA adviser, said the chapter is working to increase middle‑school participation and to connect classroom CTE courses with student clubs and internships.
Student officers reported recent achievements and upcoming events: 23 competitors were headed to district/state competition, multiple students qualified for state and national events, and the school's DECA chapter and related CTSOs (career and technical student organizations) run a school store and internship program. Student Hudson reported the school store had earned a gold certification, a status that auto‑qualifies the project for international competition; the board was told Hudson completed a 50‑page submission to receive gold certification. Hudson also said the school store internship is now a paid position.
Students highlighted multiple pathways CTE supports: sports and entertainment marketing, accounting and business analytics (students named planned colleges including UW–Madison and University of Michigan), health‑care pathways and engineering. Several students credited DECA with improving leadership, time management, collaboration and public‑speaking skills.
Adviser Mr. De Bruen (first year teaching business at Appleton East and DECA adviser) and Fudi said the chapter supports middle‑school outreach through announcements and teacher partnerships; the district has added marketing/business classes at the middle level, which advisers say increased middle‑school DECA participation.
The board and presenters discussed the format of DECA competitions (projects, role‑plays and a 100‑question test) and the chapter's plans for a Hackathon event in April. The board wished the qualifying students good luck at state and, if they advance, the international career development conference.
"Our DECA chapter focuses on three main areas: community service, social events, and competition," Stephanie Fudi said during the presentation.
The presentation closed with board appreciation for the program's role in connecting students to postsecondary options and local internship opportunities.
