On Thursday, January 5, students rose early and broke out their best blazers and ties for intense business competition at the district-level DECA conference at Kean University. There, students competed in role plays resembling real-life business meetings where they designed and presented business plans to a judge in their chosen category. Their scores from these role plays were then combined with a written test in the same general category that was taken earlier in November.

In the months leading up to the competition, DECA members have been preparing by, meeting weekly during lunches to practice their role plays with Mr. O’Hara and Mr. Braff, the club advisors, as well as a committed presidential committee of experienced DECA students, receiving helpful advice in creative problem-solving and public speaking skills.

The highest-scoring students from each category are honored with the opportunity to continue their competition at the end of the month in Atlantic City for the state-level competition. The Cranford High School state qualifiers include Courtney Domber, Sam Beck, Ben Serna, Cael Lynch, Max Melchiorre, Sophia Vizzoni, Kiran Davis, Maddie Swanson, Corey Botsakos, Dempsey Bobbit, Dom Lotito, Chris McCarthy, Alexandra Werthmann, Rachel Westervelt, Garret Hanlon, Liz Bergen, Jack Zambito, Daniel Kennedy, Declan Dowd, Neil McGovern, and Halle Earl. 

The Cranford High School Dialogue Staff would like to congratulate these 21 talented students who will be moving on to the second stage of the competition at the state level in Atlantic City at the end of February as they tackle the second written exam Wednesday, February 2, after the conclusion of midterms and continue to practice improving their role-playing skills.