EDUCATION
Jones County High School DECA students recently received chapter campaign thrive level and are headed for the international competition, because of the many feats they have done for the Jones County community.
Marissa Humphries, president of JCHS DECA and senior, said she plans to become a businesswoman after high school, because of DECA. She said the club has helped her gain confidence and new skills for the next chapter of her life. She said she’s proud of what DECA has achieved.
“There are four different categories for chapter campaigns in DECA, and they are ethical, promotional, membership, and community service,” she said. “We participated in three of these categories at the ranking competition. The only one we didn’t compete in was ethical. We achieved thrive level on all three of those, and that’s the highest level you can achieve in those categories.”
She said when they achieve different levels, they get awards for them. She said they get spots into the international competition, and it’s a big deal to get those spots.
The president said for their community service campaign, they worked with All About Pets in Macon. She said DECA donated to the animal shelter. She said they also partnered with other clubs for a food drive. She said community service is a big deal to the DECA members.
“We donated to a homeless shelter and to one of the food banks. We want to do another one, where we donate to the rescue mission. It’s for people going through rehab, and they home them, feed them, take them to church, and help them get a job. When they hit one year, they do a graduation.
I want to make it where the seniors here can donate their caps and gowns for this purpose,” Humphries said.
Travis Shores, vice president of JCHS DECA and senior, said he joined DECA for field trips, then he started making friendships in the club. He said he wanted to do more to help out in DECA and do good things for people.
He said in the promotional campaign they have to advertise the club to everyone. He said they went to the two middle schools in Jones County and talked with the middle school students about what students do in DECA. He said they built balloon arches for businesses and events and built them for events at Butler Hall and Turner Woods Elementary School this year.
“This is a pretty exciting moment for DECA here in Jones County, because we get to get up there and hear our school recognized,” he said. “We are a pretty small school and a small chapter, so for us to get recognized is a huge achievement.”
Humphries said people in Jones County are appreciative of what DECA has done for the county. She said they had to build things back up, because COVID-19 stopped a lot of volunteering and community service for a while.
She also joined DECA for the field trips, but she’s learned a lot of skills since then. She said community service is important to her, and she’s grown to love the club.
“DECA will help people and help them go above and beyond. It will grow their personality,” the president said. “People are scared of competition and failure, but it’s not as bad as it seems. It’s worth it, because you’re not in competition for very long.”
The vice president said when they go to the international competition, they can meet people from all over the world and make connections. He said some of the people they meet can turn into long lasting friendships. He said DECA has helped him prepare for his future, and it’s been worth it to be a part of the club.
“DECA has helped me improve my speech and communicate better with people,” Shores said. “I used to be nervous talking to people, but now I will talk to anyone. It’s made me become more of a confident person, and I’m having a lot of fun in DECA.”
