The Westside DECA team was selected as one of the top teams in the country and competed in Orlando, Florida in April of 2019. As the team gears up for another DECA season, they have to accommodate to the changes made since last year. The DECA club’s 2018-2019 instructors, Bryce Trout, Sarah Schau and Katie Harmon have left Westside and have been replaced by Kalen Carlson and Bart Jeseritz. The only remaining DECA advisor from the 2018-19 school year is Bradley Metzler. 

“I think we have a lot planned,” Metzler said. “[DECA] continues to be the biggest club at Westside like it has been for the past 25 to 30 years. Coming up in the next month, we have homecoming and that’s a really busy time for us. We will have powderpuff and powderbuff and homecoming week themes and working with the Red Shield; we have a lot of fun events planned.”  

Jeseritz said he is excited to help the DECA club have another successful competition season. 

“For myself and Ms. Carlson, who are kind of taking the lead for it, just making sure that the excellence in the organization continues,” Jeseritz said. “I know we want to focus on team building within the DECA club so that those students feel really connected to one another, are excited to show up, and maintain a lot of the great events they have already done in the past.” 

DECA Officer, senior Eva Collins, wants to further improve the decorated club. 

“This year in DECA we are going to try to help out the juniors a little more so that they know what they are competing in so that we can get more people qualified for nationals,” Collins said.  

As DECA heads towards competition season, the goal for advisors and students alike has become very clear. DECA will strive to take as many students to nationals as possible and to have another historically successful season.