Warren County HS DECA recognized for Outstanding School-Based Enterprises (SBE)

Wildcats Corner, Wildcats LIVE!, and DECA Tailgaters, the school-based enterprises at WCHS, were among 461 school-based enterprises achieving Gold Level certification for the 2021-2022 school year and will be recognized during DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA.

A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st-century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers.

The WCHS DECA members who contributed to the certification of Wildcats Corner were DJ Rizzo, Jr., Nick Foltz, and Landon Pond. Wildcats Corner is operated as an e-commerce business. Originally Wildcats Corner was a “brick and mortar” store. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was converted during the 2020-21 school year to an e-commerce business, so items are primarily ordered and sold to customers on the internet through the school store website. Wildcats Corner has operated for four years. This is the fourth consecutive year that this SBE has achieved Gold Certification.

The WCHS DECA members who contributed to the certification of Wildcats LIVE! were Ginger Gouda, Jaelin Henry, and Amber Saffer. Wildcats LIVE! is a sports and entertainment marketing media company that was created to promote the athletic teams and other student activities at Warren County High School. We deliver this service through three channels.

1. Through an online streaming service that streams all of the sports events live from Warren County High School. With Wildcats LIVE!, students, parents, and members of the community are able to stream their favorite school sporting events from wherever they may be.
2. Publishing documents devoted to publicizing athletic teams.
3. Producing a bi-weekly video highlighting athletes and other students at WCHS.

This is the first year that Wildcats LIVE! has achieved Gold certification.

The WCHS DECA members who contributed to the certification of DECA Tailgaters were Nicole Ranney, Natalya Carter, Sofia Kozhenevsky, Ella Martin, and Kaley Tanner. DECA Tailgaters is a retail foodservice business that operates as an on-site food vendor during community festivals and provides lunch for teachers and staff members at Warren County High School. This is the third year of operation for DECA Tailgaters and the third consecutive year the SBE has achieved Gold certification.

“DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program is a rigorous process designed to help DECA members demonstrate their classroom learning in a practical, learning laboratory, and then translate that into meaningful outcomes,” said Christopher Young, CAE, Chief Program Officer at DECA Inc. “These DECA members are practicing important workplace readiness skills while preparing for college and careers.”

DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program provides recognition for outstanding achievement by school-based enterprises and motivates SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: bronze, silver, or gold. In order to apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that explains how the SBE demonstrates the practice of various marketing and retail standards. A review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved.

(Press Release from WCHS DECA)