[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1134]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN HONOR OF THE DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION CLUBS OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TOM McCLINTOCK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2016

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the efforts of the 
Western Sierra Collegiate Academy's Distributive Education Clubs of 
America (DECA) chapter and the success of similar chapters throughout 
the country. Through teaching methods focused on development in 
marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, students participating 
in DECA are effectively prepared for their future careers.
   The Western Sierra Collegiate Academy's DECA chapter successfully 
equips emerging entrepreneurs with goal-setting, consensus-building, 
and project-management skills. By tapping into its students' varying 
interests and learning styles, DECA's adaptive business-development 
program engages students in a hands-on environment, including 
entrepreneur activities such as operating school stores, organizing 
fundraising events, and participating in business simulation 
competitions with other DECA chapters. DECA encourages its students to 
learn and practice smart business strategies, opening doors for 
students to develop and influence the business sector.
   The Western Sierra Collegiate Academy successfully engages its 
students in business practices and has been named a Gold-level School-
Based Enterprise (SBE). In earning this award, Western Sierra 
Collegiate Academy has completed a detailed written description of how 
its chapter adheres to select business model standards in the above 
methods. Chapters are categorized into three SBE levels: bronze, 
silver, and gold. Western Sierra's Gold-level placement qualifies them 
to participate in the exclusive SBE Academy competition, held at the 
International Career Development Conference.
   Throughout secondary and post-secondary education, it is essential 
to instill in students common-sense principles utilized by today's 
businesses, and the Western Sierra Collegiate Academy's chapter 
reaffirms this notion. The teaching methods and interactions that DECA 
applies allows students to learn the significance and importance in 
one's ability to make choices and experience real-world business 
practices. The highly interactive nature of DECA allows students to 
understand the free market's benefits. The ability to teach these 
principles to students throughout high school and college is critical 
to our country's future free market drive and initiative.
   Knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship coupled with interactive 
applications of smart business strategies in an educational environment 
not only teaches students how to engage in business with the necessary 
skills required, but also allows students to develop their own well-
informed career goals. Currently, DECA chapters are in over 3,500 high 
schools and over 275 colleges, engaging over 215,000 students.
   Mr. Speaker, I commend the Western Sierra Collegiate Academy DECA 
chapter for its tireless efforts to inspire and train successful 
entrepreneurs and look forward to following their successes.

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