DECA Challenge Week

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Cassidy Davidson, the historian of DECA, shows her design for the DECA challenge. (Photo by Angel Zheng)

Angel Zheng and Samantha Batty

State High business class students are patiently waiting as their “DECA challenge week” submissions are being judged. This year’s competition, which took place during the week of November 16th, consisted of students working in groups of three to five people, with the goal of creating a functional product made of solely cardboard.

The DECA challenge week is the time of year when inventors are born, crazy products are made, and the business community comes together to help the environment. DECA challenge week is a competition that focuses on recycling old materials to make new innovative products. Students all around the world gathered together in groups and compete for the best idea, where the winner will receive a cash prize.

Students in different business classes came up with many unique ideas for the idea challenge. In Mr. William’s marketing class, a group of students made toy robots. The toy robots were easy and cheap to make, and they can be great gifts for the kids in hospitals. “It’s a great opportunity to be creative and inventive, and I love that we were able to craft something that helps both the environment and people in need,” said Annalia Arndt. Some of the other creative ideas from the classes included cardboard belts, picture frames, and even cardboard birdhouses!

Cassidy Davidson, DECA’s historian, thinks that the challenge helps business students to gain experience in marketing a product and how to work together in a group. This year, her group decided that they would make a camera out of cardboard for the challenge. “We called it Cardboard Clicks and I think it was quite successful,” she said.
After groups finish making their product, they have to post a short video explaining their idea and why it can be beneficial to the environment. (If you are curious to see what products students have made, google “DECA Idea Challenge 2015.) The winners of the challenge will be announced on January 26, 2016.