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The School-Based Enterprise at Westosha Central High School was among 360 school-based enterprises in the United States achieving Gold Level Certification (or Gold Level Re-certification) this year and will be recognized at DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California.
The students who worked on the certification were Mikayla Chon, Nick Uzzardo and Julia Ziemelis, with the assistance of their advisor Melissa Bahnson. The school-based enterprise at Central High School has operated for four years.
A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in Marketing, Finance, Hospitality and Management. Marketing educators and DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21 st century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers.
DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program was developed to provide recognition for outstanding achievement by school-based enterprises and to motivate SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: Bronze, Silver or Gold. In order to apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that demonstrates their adherence to various marketing and retail standards. After the documentation is submitted, a review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved.
DECA Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for- profit student organization with more than 215,000 members in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Canada, China Germany, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. DECA’s activities assist in the development of academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, experienced leaders.
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