Latest Announcements

2018 Baltimore Power Trip Recap

By: Stella Bayiokos

This year the 2018 Ultimate DECA Power Trip was held in Baltimore, Maryland. Your officers along with a few NJ DECA chapters represented NJ DECA at this wonderful conference. This conference offered learning labs taught by state and chapter advisors all over the country. A lot of great information was taught which we want to share with you now!

Chapter Competition Success System by Kim Edwards

Kim Edwards, Myers Park High School advisor, spoke about her chapter’s success in her high school. One problem she addressed was attendance at chapter meetings. Chapter meetings can be difficult. Not all DECA members are motivated enough to attend meetings making it hard for announcement/information to be shared within the chapter. One solution Ms. Edwards created was the DECA Dollars Incentive Program. The purpose of DECA dollars is to encourage your chapter members to be active participants. DECA dollars can be earned through participation and can be redeemed on daily grades and tests as well as additional prizes. Below are example activities listed that will earn you DECA Dollars.

• Pay DECA Membership Dues on Time          ($20)
• Attend a DECA function/meeting                  ($20)
• Raise $100 for the state Community Service Project, Mission Victorious    ($30)
• Have a parent volunteer during an event        ($25)
• Attend ICDC   ($100)
• Perfect Attendance for entire year                  ($50)

The second part of having a DECA dollar incentive program is to offer prizes or rewards that you are able to redeem. DECA dollars could be redeemed for points on a quiz, test, or homework assignment. They can also be redeemed on prizes such as gift cards, candy, or a DECA t-shirt. An example list of prizes is written below.

• 1 point on a quiz grade           ($5 per point)
• 1 point on a daily grade          ($10 per point)
• 1 point on a test grade             (15 per point)
• Excuse lowest quiz grade       ($50 points)
• Excuse lowest daily grade      ($100 points)
• Excuse lowest test grade         ($250)
• $10 Starbucks gift card           ($50)
• DECA T-shirt ($100)

This incentive program can be altered to fit the needs of your chapter. However, this system can be very effective if used properly. I hope DECA Dollars works in your chapters! Good Luck!

Why YOU Should Apply for State Office

By: Olivia Lang

Holding a position for New Jersey DECA is a big deal. If you think you have the leadership skills and creative ideas to help NJ DECA you should apply. While being a state officer does require DECA to be your #1 commitment, you also get all the perks that come along with it.

I applied for state office because DECA gave me so many opportunities and helped me to decide what I wanted to do in college. I also wanted to do it because someone from my school had been a state officer and she loved it. I told her I was interested and she said that I would be perfect for the job. DECA has introduced me to so many people and I wanted others to get that same experience. I wanted to be a voice for the members and I wanted to help make decisions. I love being a state officer, my team is like my family and YOU would feel the same way.

More Reasons on Why You Should Become a State Officer:

• You are able to make a difference for New Jersey DECA
• You help to make decisions for the members
• You help pick the charity for the year
• You attend ICDC the year you’re elected, and the year you serve your term in office
• You have the opportunity to meet a lot of members and other state officers
• You speak on stage at the state conference
• You attend the Ultimate Power Trip

If you are interested in applying for State Office next school year (we’re talking to you Freshman and Sophomores!), please go to www.njdeca.org and take a look at the State Officer Candidate Page.  For more information, you can also speak to any state officer!

How to Role Play

By: Dana Schoolsky

With District Conferences around the corner, it’s time to start preparing how to tackle your Role Play events. Whether you’re an individual competitor or part of a team event, these steps will help you ace that Role Play!

Step 1: Introduce yourself to your judge. It’s important that you state your name, shake his/her hand, and politely ask if you may take a seat.

Step 2: Go over your agenda. Tell the judge who you are, why you’re meeting, and what you will discuss. It can be helpful for you to play a character, perhaps an employee at the company. Act the part confidently!

Step 3: In your agenda, include the Performance Indicators. Tell your judge up front that you will be discussing A,B,C,D,F. Then, he or she will know what to expect and you’ve already stated the PIs… now it’s time to elaborate on each of them.

Step 4: Explain all the details for each Performance Indicator as related to the scenario. Go in-depth on ones you’re more comfortable with, but be sure to discuss ALL of them.

Step 5: Use visual aids! If the scenario lends itself to you drawing a poster, drafting a social media post, or even making a business card, go for it! Judges love the extra effort and it really goes to show that you put lots of effort and thought into your presentation. It doesn’t matter if it’s the most artistic-looking visual aid, anything is appreciated. If you don’t have time to make anything, do not stress at all, these aren’t required by any means, they are just something that can make you stand out.

Step 6: After you’ve addressed the problem and introduced a solution, sum everything up and plan a “follow-up”. In the real world, meetings don’t end after the given time period set for them; there is always a follow-up call, email, etc. Remind your judge that he/she “has your contact information” and should feel free to reach out anytime. It makes the situation seem realistic.

Step 7: Thank the judge for his/her time and wish him/her well. Congrats! You made it through your DECA Role Play 🙂

Some general tips:

• Be creative, but not too far-fetched. You don’t want to be so unrealistic that your judge thinks you don’t know your stuff (don’t make first year projections too high, don’t expect that a celebrity would love to be a part of your small-shop campaign).
• Know your buzz words! Learn commonly used vocabulary for your specific event, whether it be accounting terms or auto-motive terms, and even learn some general marketing terms! It really shows that you know what you’re talking about if you can utilize the proper jargon.
• Be confident! Silence is better than “um” or “like”, and when you make eye-contact, have good posture, and handle yourself professionally, it will read very well. Don’t forget to smile, and don’t be too uptight! Judges are humans too.
• Have fun!!!! DECA provides invaluable, applicable experience that is hard to come by. Don’t stress yourself out if it doesn’t go exactly how you planned it- that’s life. Just give it your all and be yourself.

Introducing Member & Advisor of the Month

By: Nicholas Brophy, Central Region Vice President

Member of the Month

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYeH6MIxISo5W5vx0Fy2CXdo868jyJ4ukQ3tyTd9PgLM7HWQ/viewform

Once again, students may be nominated to be elected as a New Jersey DECA Member of the Month. These students are motivated, dedicated, and remain #NJDECABOLD leaders throughout their school and state communities. They are hardworking members who stand out for their perseverance and contributions to their DECA chapters. Both members and advisors alike are encouraged to use the form on the New Jersey DECA website in order to nominate these outstanding students.

Advisor of the Month

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdbb2zrnkMbaqfY8kDnVr_X6olGlnNLL509K8Ee4Cl1aEeog/viewform

New to this year is the Advisor of the Month. Not only are our members #NJDECABOLD, but so are the advisors, who spend countless hours leading their students to success. Their dedication and guidance, as well as their contributions to New Jersey DECA, deserve to be recognized. There is a form on the New Jersey DECA website that can be used by members or advisors to nominate advisors that are major influences on both their chapter and the entire state.

The forms are open continuously, and the nominations will be evaluated at the end of each month by the State Action Team, in order to select one Member and one Advisor of the Month.        These individuals will be recognized on social media, and will be given a certificate for their hard work and commitment to staying #NJDECABOLD. The State Action Team looks forward to acknowledging these individuals, and is excited for a year of competition, development, and accomplishments.

President’s Welcome

By: Dana Schoolsky, President

Hi New Jersey DECA members! I’m Dana Schoolsky and I will be representing you this year as your State President.

I cannot begin to express the excitement that I have for the year we have ahead. We will be making new traditions and breaking old ones. One thing that my team and I aspire to work towards is connecting with our members on a personal level and reaching out so that we can gain your feedback to make NJ DECA the best it can possibly be. Your thoughts and ideas are important to us so never hesitate to reach out to me or to anyone on the officer team!

Additionally, we know that this year our numbers can and will continue to grow! Our team is looking forward to expanding our social media presence so that we can inform current members of everything that is happening, but we need your help as members and advisors to spread the passion and love for DECA that we all share so that we can fuel even more involvement and take even more students to ICDC in Orlando.

Your officers and I promise that we will stop at nothing to make your 2018-2019 year incredible. We’re all #ReadyForIt and we hope that you will join us in being #NJDECABOLD!