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Medfield DECA chapter grows to over 250 students; adviser and students highlight competitions and community projects
Summary
Students and their adviser told the school committee that the DECA chapter has grown from a handful to more than 250 members, citing mentorship, fundraisers, and district support; students described competitive successes and state/international opportunities.
Members of Medfield High School’s DECA chapter presented to the school committee on Feb. 5, describing rapid growth, competitive achievements and community projects.
Karen Schaefer, DECA adviser, explained the program structure—students select events in areas such as marketing and finance, prepare either a role play or a 20‑page prepared event, and compete at district, state and international levels. Schaefer said the chapter grew from roughly 14 students in earlier years to over 250 this year, and noted travel and bus costs have been a significant expense for teams.
"My name is Karen Schaefer and I get the pleasure of teaching our high school students the business skills that will hopefully be very portable for them wherever they go," she said, describing the chapter’s executive‑board model and mentoring system. Senior Sam George, who served on the local E‑board and was elected to a state leadership role, said DECA “entirely changed my life” and credited the adviser and peer mentorship for the program’s expansion.
Students highlighted community projects (including a marketing campaign that helped raise over $10,000 for a local Putting for Patients event) and described leadership development, internships and travel to state and international conferences as program benefits. Committee members congratulated the students and invited the committee to attend the March state conference.
Why it matters: The presentation demonstrated strong extracurricular engagement in the district, rising participation that has implications for transportation, fundraising and staffing support for advisers and coaches.
