Pea Ridge DECA recognized for outstanding school-based enterprise

The NEST, the schoolbased enterprise at Pea Ridge High School, was among 246 school-based enterprises achieving GOLD Certification for the 2020-2021 school year and will be recognized during DECA’s Virtual International Career Development Conference this April 19-23, 2021.

A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers.

The Pea Ridge High School DECA members who contributed to the certification were editor, Emily Beck with the help from her peers Hunter Anderson, Joseph Bott, Kyleigh Box, Masie Foltz, Madison Fortner, Nalea Holliday, Kailey King, Caliber Landis, Evan Larsen, Olivia McCracken and Alevia Reyna with the assistance of DECA chapter advisor, Tiauna Young. The SBE at Pea Ridge High School has operated for more than four years and is to be commended for this achievement.

“DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program is a rigorous process designed to help DECA members demonstrate their classroom learning in a practical, learning laboratory, and then translate that into meaningful outcomes,” said Christopher Young, CAE, Chief Program Officer at DECA Inc. “These DECA members are practicing important workplace readiness skills while preparing for college and careers.”

DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program provides recognition for outstanding achievement by schoolbased enterprises and to motivate SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: bronze, silver or gold. In order to apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that explains how the SBE demonstrates the practice of various marketing and retail standards. A review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved. DECA’s Schoolbased Enterprise programs are sponsored by Intuit and Otis Spunkmeyer Inc.

About DECA Inc.

DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs who are interested in careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing cocurricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition. DECA student members leverage their DECA experience to become academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, experienced leaders. DECA is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit with more than 225,000 members in 4,000 high school and college chapters in all 50 United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico and Germany.

For more information about DECA, visit http:// www.deca.org.