LAPS NEWS RELEASE

Thirty-six Los Alamos High School DECA students participated in the New Mexico DECA District 1 Competition this week. This is the first phase of NMAA-sponsored DECA competitive events that culminate in students qualifying to attend the national DECA conference in April 2025. The district competition includes DECA students from 14 high schools in Northern New Mexico. Students performing well in the district competition advance to the state competition, held in Albuquerque in early March 2025.

The DECA students completed two 100-question tests during the first week of December. Results of both tests are combined and ranked across the district. The top eight students in each category advance to the state competition.

The two exams are comprised of both curriculum and cluster areas. The curriculum exams focus on general business, economics, and marketing questions. The cluster exams focus on the area the student has chosen to compete in. Students choose from marketing, finance, hospitality and tourism, business administration, entrepreneurship or personal finance as their area of choice. Results of the competition are released to the participating schools in late December.

“Our Los Alamos High School DECA students typically perform very well in the district competitions,” commented Dr. Sharon Hurley, LAHS DECA advisor. “These students have spent many hours preparing for, and practicing questions for this initial competition. Once we identify the students who advance to state, they will continue to prepare for the next level of testing and role plays.”