Sachem North Scores High at Suffolk County DECA Regional Competition

(Sachem, N.Y.) Sachem High School North is pleased to announce that 27 students competed at the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Regional competition at Suffolk Community College on January 7, 2009.
 
The regional competition was rigorous as Suffolk County is the largest DECA region in New York State. Sachem North students performed well, qualifying 13 students for the New York State DECA Competition which will be held from March 3 through March 6 in Rochester, New York.
 
DECA is a student-centered organization whose program of leadership and personal development is designed specifically for students enrolled in business education classes. It is a co-curricular organization and serves as an integral part of the classroom instructional program. Students learn the vocational understanding necessary to compete in marketing, management, business and merchandising careers while still in school.
 
The 1,500 students at the competition were broken up into different categories and competed by taking tests, completing billboards and participating in role play scenarios. Sachem North students, led by first-year DECA Advisor Mrs. Kerry Penwell and Chairperson of Business and Career Development Mr. Tom Sullivan, had a strong showing in a number of categories.
 
Senior DECA President, Samantha Lewis, placed sixth in Marketing Development. In the Quick Serve Restaurant category, senior John Edom brought home a fourth-place title while DECA newcomer, Arun Parmar, scored third in Career and Financial Management. Junior Gaby De La Garza led her class by placing in the Public Service Visual Category while Junior DECA newcomers Sara Rizik and Harry Roberts scored fifth in the Business Law Category. 
 
Junior Tom Sasso competed as a solo entrant in the Sports and Entertainment Management category and earned an impressive third-place qualifying score; senior A.J. Gallina and junior Mike Turo earned a seventh-place finish; and seniors Matthew Smidowicz and Stephen Rodriquez brought home an exciting first-place finish by earning the top score in the county. Matthew Smidowicz earned the highest overall mark in the entire county. Seniors and DECA newcomers Dom Purificato and Jordan Manger received honorable mention in the Financial Analysis category. 
 
Additional Sachem North students who competed in the Regional competition include: Sam Hodes, Vinnie Porcaro, Eddie Hosek, Shawn Laljit, Valerie Schiereck, Brittney Redmond, Dakota Wiegand, Jon Rizik, Kevin Clarkson, Ryan Barrett, Dana Kelly, Vanessa Barahona, Maham Ahmed and Chris Tellarico.
 
With an outstanding performance at the Regional competition, the Sachem North team is well poised for NY State Competition and beyond.
 
Photo: (front row): Seniors Valerie Schiereck and Maham Ahmed with (back row) Sachem North DECA President Samantha Lewis.