By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

Jemison High School business and marketing students hit the road Feb. 21 and 22 for the statewide, annual Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) State Career Development Conference in Birmingham.

“DECA is an association of marketing students, and every year we have a state and an international competition,” business and marketing adviser Sandi Cullen of JHS said.

JHS was represented by 22 students, faculty and state officers Charlsie Murphie and Madison Gay of last year’s conference.

Prior to the conference, students take a 100-item, online test pertaining to marketing skills in various event areas, such as hospitality and tourism, accounting and auto-mechanics, Cullen said.

At the two-day conference, students role-play.

“They’ll be given a scenario, and they have to figure out how they would handle the situation, and they have to present that in front of a judge,” Cullen said.

“They average their test score with their role play score, and then they take the top three [students],” Cullen said. “And the top three are eligible to compete at the international conference, which this year is in Atlanta.”

Six JHS students placed as eligible to compete in the 2018 DECA International Career Development Conference, which is scheduled for April 21-24.

These JHS students moving up in the competition include:

• Bree Morris: Travel and Tourism Marketing Team, second place
• Madeline Morris: Principles of Hospitality and Tourism, second place
• JoHannah Northcutt: Business Law and Ethics, third place
• Kelsey Porter: Travel and Tourism Marketing Team, second place
• Grace Watson: Principles of Hospitality and Tourism, third place
• Gabe Wilson: Business Law & Ethics, third place

“The remainder of the students that competed are eligible to attend the Leadership Academy at nationals,” Cullen said.

The JHS DECA chapter was awarded a plaque for Top Fundraiser for the state with its Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraiser.

“The kids were excited about that,” Cullen said.

Cullen received Outstanding Advisor of the Year.

Cullen, who has been a JHS student advisor for 20 years, said her business and marketing class strives to prepare students for the DECA conferences each year through a variety of exercises and practices.

For more information about DECA Inc., please visit deca.org.