INVITATION TO JUDGE MLK HIGH SCHOOL DECA COMPETITION

WHEN:

Saturday, November, 2, 2024, 9:30am-2:45pm

WHERE:

Martin Luther King High School, 9301 Wood Rd., Riverside, CA 92508

WHY:

Hello! My name is Gina Rye and I am reaching out on behalf of Martin Luther King High School and the DECA organization as lead chapter advisor and business/marketing teacher. DECA is a student business organization at the high school and collegiate levels across the world that allows students to learn and hone business and marketing skills while they prepare for and compete in events across these areas: hospitality, marketing, finance, and business management. MLK High in Riverside has been part of this organization for nearly 24 years. Each fall, our campus hosts a local-level competition including southern California DECA chapters. The competition requires a certain number of judges - this year we are seeking at least 25 judges.

HOW:

Here’s what competition day would look like -

Our students get to pick one of the following categories to compete in:

-Retail Merchandising

-Business Finance

-Entrepreneurship

-Quick Serve Restaurant Management

-Hospitality Services (team)

Individuals or teams of 2 will complete two “role play” events within the same category. In a nutshell, they receive a role play scenario related to the event category and have 10 minutes to prepare their presentation for the judge; Then they have 10 minutes to present to the judge. 

You would be provided with a scoring sheet including performance indicators that students should be demonstrating as they present to their judges. After students finish their role plays and leave, you would be given time to provide your scores and brief written feedback. 

Here’s an example of the type of instructions they (and you) will receive prior to performing their event:

https://assets-global.website-files.com/635c470cc81318fc3e9c1e0e/63fcd50caedbd8a6030647b6_DECA_ENT_2023_District_Event_1-CR.pdf

A complete list of all competitive events are located at:

https://www.deca.org/compete#competitive-events

The tentative timeline for you would be:

-9:30 CHECK IN & QUICK JUDGES ORIENTATION: You can let me know ahead of time which event you would prefer to judge. I will be providing a quick training so you can preview and figure out the judging materials and procedures. There will be an experienced DECA advisor or helper present in the judging rooms to assist throughout the day.

-10:45 JUDGING BEGINS: students will begin competing. You may end up judging 4 individuals or 3 teams per hour. 

-12:30-1:00 LUNCH BREAK: Meal provided (vegetarian options available)

-1:00-2:45 FINISH JUDGING: Continue and conclude judging

Competitors will range from grades 9th through 12th grade. You will find some students to be quite knowledgeable and experienced in their events, along with others completely new to business and/or competing. 

SOUND GOOD? HERE'S HOW TO SIGN UP TO JUDGE!

At your earliest convenience, please let me know if this is something you are open to participating in by SUBMITTING THE FORM at the button below In the form, please indicate any preferences you may have on the type of event you'd like to judge (see list above). Our students would, undoubtedly, learn so much from your professional feedback! They use your feedback to improve and prepare for higher levels of competition moving forward. Last school year, we had 6 students reach top 20 at the International level; 3 earned 4th place in their event!