Rebecca Qin

DECA President Drew Seketa plans DECA reforms for the school year. This is the first year Carmel DECA is its own district and DECA hours will exist.

Because the CHS DECA chapter is now its own competitive district this year, the club has begun to make numerous changes to its leadership and alter the way it’s run. The CHS chapter became its own district, as opposed to remaining in a district with other schools, due to its status as the largest chapter in the state and because of competition logistics.
Chard Reid, DECA advisor and business teacher, said, “As we’ve continued to grow, we’ve had to change the structure of our leadership team a little bit so we can do a better job of keeping constant communication with our members and also to make sure that (DECA) continues to be student-driven and they have the structure in place to be successful.”
To compensate for the chapter becoming its own district, the leadership board has expanded to include six students, including Drew Seketa, DECA chapter president and senior and Jackson Holforty, district president and senior. Reid said about 40 students fill various leadership roles.
“I’m optimistic about this year, especially with the team that we’ve put together,” Seketa said.
According to Seketa, in addition to changes in leadership, the chapter also plans to introduce a new concept called DECA hours to increase member participation.
“In the past, club members could just sign up, pay their dues, and show up to State and District. Nothing would be stopping them from just doing nothing the whole year. This year, we want to change that,” Seketa said.
DECA Hours will require members to complete 10 hours spent in workshops, community service or similar activities.
Reid said, “As your organization grows, you’ve got to evolve to make sure that we can continue to thrive and not become stagnant.”
Seketa said, “We’re making this change in structure, change in DECA Hours, change in culture because we need a new way to motivate people.”
Between expanding the leadership board and introducing the new program, DECA will look somewhat different this year in comparison to the past. However, Reid said the chapter’s driving goal remains the same.
“The ultimate goal is just to provide students with opportunities to learn in authentic and meaningful ways. The competition is an avenue for that,” Reid said.
Seketa said, “I want (DECA) to change from just doing the work because it’s going to be good for your resume or you’re going to get a placement that you can just check off on a college transcript to doing it because it’s something you enjoy.”