Even with the variety of business courses are offered at the high school, very rarely are students able to demonstrate their knowledge in a competitive environment.

The Business Competitions Club offers students the ability to learn and compete in different business competitions. This year, the club’s sole focus has been on its Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) competitions.

DECA competitions consist of law, ethics and stock market issues. To compete, participants are given case studies where they must apply their business knowledge in a real-world scenario.

Junior Simon Kayser said competing in DECA can be helpful when it comes to finding a passion that could lead to your career.

“You are able to put yourself into the shoes of the vice president of some massive company or something like that, and you can also see if that is something you want to do as a career,” Kayser said.

Junior Joshua Heinstien said these competitions can vary in format and purpose.

“One format you can have is where you take a test, and you answer 100 questions in 60 minutes along with a case study. A case study is when you are given a prompt and a situation, and you have to make a presentation that you perform in front of a judge,” Heinstien said. “The other format is a Start-Up Plan, which is where you have to write a 10-page essay and a presentation, but there’s no test.”

Junior and club president Aaron Feinstein participated in the Start-Up competition this year. Feinstein said that although the competition is entirely theoretical, it requires a very realistic amount of depth and understanding.

“There are customer segments and your solution to those problems. You have to figure out estimated sales figures, profit margin, all of that stuff,” Feinstein said. “You write all that into a 10-page essay, where you address every part of the company someone would want to know, and then make a presentation as well.”

Feinstein, along with DECA Vice President junior Zachary Fisch, brainstormed a new company called “Trim-It,” which provides a re-envisioned smart card. With a “Trim It” card, a user is able to scan all other gift cards and debit cards, then use them everywhere as a normal card. It also automatically manages rewards and saves money passively.

This idea won Feinstein and Fisch first place in their district DECA competition, and they are waiting for their state competition results.

They were not the only club members who found success. All twelve members competing in DECA placed in districts and had the chance to compete in the state competition, even though this is the first time the Business Competition Club is operating in over six years.

Feinstein said he wanted to re-open the club because there were no other clubs that fit his interests.

“I wanted a way to show knowledge in business areas. Freshman year, there weren’t that many business clubs, and they wouldn’t really let you compete. There’s Mock Trial Club for law, but nothing for business,” Feinstein said.

The Business Competitions Club was officially reinstated at the high school last spring. Even though club members compete as individuals, the club meets once a week over Discord. Club members collaborate with one another on each other’s projects to help the entire club succeed.

DECA has been the club’s main focus recently, but they look to expand into other competitions following this year. They recently published an official website and are looking for new members. Feinstein said interest in business is a good reason to check the club out.

“It’s a blast for anyone as long as you are interested in business,” Feinstein said.