Hall 'Hospitality High' students headed to national DECA competition

GAINESVILLE - The Hall County School System's Hospitality High Coordinator, Rachael McClain, reports that the Lanier Career Center DECA Chapter and the Hospitality High students recently competed at the state level DECA Career Development Conference. <br /> <br /> Over 1,800 students from around the state gathered in Atlanta to compete in marketing, management, hospitality, community events, and entrepreneurship categories. <br /> <br /> Eight students from Lanier Career Center DECA participated in the competition with all eight placing in the top ranks to now advance on to the International Career Development Conference to be held in Anaheim, California in April.<br /> <br /> Taylor Brewster, North Hall High Senior, and Claudia Diaz, a Johnson High Senior are both enrolled in Hospitality High. Brewster and Diaz placed first with their market research manual prepared for Lake Lanier Islands Resort. <br /> <br /> Danielle Miller, a junior from Flowery Branch High School, placed first in business speech and fifth in a written event for her work with a needs-based scholarship for the Georgia DECA Foundation. <br /> <br /> Eliza Paris, a junior at North Hall High, placed first with her work in community service and Relay for Life. <br /> <br /> Morgan Barron and Brandi Black, both juniors at Flowery Branch High, placed second with their pubic relations campaign designed to raise awareness of the high school drop out issues facing our nation. <br /> <br /> Alyssa Van De Water, a junior from Chestatee High, placed 4th with her business plan for an on-line food delivery system targeting families in North Georgia. <br /> <br /> Whitney Finch, a senior from Lanier Career Academy, placed first with her presentation of all of the community service actions the Lanier Career Center (LCC) DECA Chapter had completed this year. <br /> <br /> In addition to the competition, Danielle Miller was elected the State DECA President for 2009-2010 and Morgan Barron was elected Vice President of Communications and Public Relations for the state. Both Miller and Barron will represent the LCC DECA Chapter at the state officer level. Eliza Paris was elected State Vice President of Finance, representing North Hall as a state officer.<br /> <br /> All eight students will compete at the international level in April with over 18,000 students from around the world.