Ben Straus, of the Glen Allan area, is a Grade 12 student at Elmira District Secondary School (EDSS).
With encouragement from his accounting teacher in Grade 11, Straus entered the DECA International Career Development Conference competition and gained valuable experience. This year he took the challenge again and placed 7th in the world out of 150 competitors in the Accounting Applications category.
“I wish that I had done it before because it was a great experience. Since I was the first to go to Internationals from EDSS since 2001, I went with Preston High School (Cambridge) and their teacher,” Straus said.
DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) formed 60 years ago with a goal to improve education and career opportunities for students interested in marketing, management and entrepreneurship goals. Ontario has one of the largest chapters in the organization.
Straus met students from various countries including Spain, Germany, China and Guam at the event. Over 15,000 students were in attendance at the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando, Florida in late April.
Students attend opening and awards ceremonies at which time they traded pens, T-shirts, hats and local paraphernalia. At the Career Development Fair sponsors provide information on a variety of careers in business along with activities, draws and free giveaways. A tour of the city and local attractions are also part of the DECA program.
“In order to represent DECA Ontario at the international level, I finished 6th overall in my event at DECA provincials in Toronto,” Straus commented.
Three events make up the DECA competition in which students demonstrate their school and career knowledge and skills in the Competitive Events Program. In individual events, students must complete a written 100-question multiple choice exam and two role-playing events that the student is allowed to review. The role-playing scenario pertains to the business-related event the student is participating in.
In front of a judge the participant translates what they have learned into a spontaneous action. The judge evaluates the performance on five specific tasks. Maximum score is 100 points. The exam and role playing portions are valued at one-third of the total score. The final presentation is weighted twice the value of the exam score. Exam scores carry forward into the final competition. Participants have 10 minutes before presenting to the judge to review, prepare and develop an approach to solve the problem. Presentations to the judge run 10 minutes.
Team decision-making events are similar to individual events except participants work in teams of two and are given double the time to prepare and present. In written events, competitors are given a scenario ahead of time, prepare a written report and an oral presentation.
At the conference, Straus received four medals for:
– first place role play in Accounting Applications;
– top ten in multiple choice;
– advancing to the finals; and
– finishing in the top 10 overall.
“I didn’t know anyone before the trip but it was easy to make a lot of friends as 700 kids were there from across Ontario and everyone got along great, “Straus said.
He plans to attend a joint math and business program in the fall at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo. He hopes to obtain employment in Sports administration or manage a Sports team.
