Thursday, March 8, 2007 Older Editions

Tech students heading to DECA competition

Twelve students, including Janae Lundstrom of Andover, will represent Greater Lawrence Technical School at the 48th annual DECA State Career Development Conference March 15-17 in Boston.

Eight of the students, who major in marketing, fashion design, and culinary arts and hospitality, qualified to attend the conference by winning awards at the DECA District V competition Jan. 31 at the Radisson Hotel in Chelmsford.

They include Mike Calthorpe, first place in retail merchandising series; the team of Michael Scott and Hal Cunha, first place in sports and entertainment marketing; Elizabeth Allen, fourth place in accounting applications; and Josh Medina, fourth place in automotive services marketing series, all marketing students and Lawrence residents. Also, the team of fashion design students Jatnna Christopher, Jury Martinez, and Cheyanna Velez emerged as "state qualifiers" in Community Service Project.

They will be joined by culinary arts student Liz Deziel (Methuen), quick serve restaurant management; marketing student Johanna Duran (Lawrence), accounting applications; and the fashion design team of Katelyn Griffin (Lawrence) and Janae Lundstrom (Andover), fashion merchandising.

More than 1,100 DECA members and chapter advisers, representing approximately 55 schools from throughout the Commonwealth, are expected to attend the state conference. The event is designed to help develop future business leaders.

Business, education, and government leaders will serve as competitive event judges.

DECA is an international student organization made up of young people interested in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.

Its purposes are to develop a respect for education, which contributes to occupational competence, and to promote understanding and appreciation for the responsibilities of citizenship in our free, competitive enterprise system.

Greater Lawrence Technical School has a growing DECA chapter and sent 61 competitors and leadership applicants to the District V contest at the Radisson Hotel in Chelmsford on January 31.