WEST IRONDEQUOIT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Irondequoit High School

Rochester, NY 14617

To: All media

From: Lou DiCesare, Business Education Teacher - 336-4633

Date: April 26, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(CREDIT UNION PICTURE: L to R: Jeffrey Bocach of Advantage FCU, Dawn Edwards, Pamela Heald, Rob Matuska all of Reliant FCU, Ann Hynes of St. Pius X FCU, and Bill Martin of Pittsford FCU)

LOCAL CREDIT UNIONS GATHER TO

SUPPORT AREA HIGH SCHOOL BUSINESS STUDENTS

Area credit unions gathered at Irondequoit High School last week to hear presentations from area high school business students who have qualified to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, FL on April 28th. The credit unions, which helped organize the meeting, were looking to learn more about DECA and see how they could financially support the learning initiatives that take place within the Business & Marketing program.

DECA was organized in 1946 around an ambitious goal: to improve educational and career opportunities in marketing, management and entrepreneurship for students. In the years since, DECA has remained on the cutting edge of educational innovation, working with the business community to integrate academic achievement with career and technical skills.

Officials from Reliant Community Credit Union, Advantage Federal Credit Union, ESL Federal Credit Union, St. Pius X Federal Credit Union, Summit Federal Credit Union and Pittsford Federal Credit Union were in attendance to listen to business students from six area high schools who qualified to compete at the highest level in their respective event. There are nearly 60 different competitive marketing events for students to learn about in the field of business and marketing.

Within Monroe County there are 33 students who qualified to compete at the DECA ICDC. A total of over 13,000 students will attend the ICDC in Orlando starting April 28 through May 2. The students who qualified had to place in the top six at the regional event in January, then in the top three at the state level to make it to ICDC.

Event names that students from Aquinas, Brighton, Irondequoit, Mendon, Mercy and Sutherland will be competing in are as follows:

n Business Services Marketing

n Sports & Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making

n Financial Analysis Team Decision Making

n Food Marketing

n Virtual Business Management

n Hospitality Team Decision Making

n Advertising Campaign

n Travel & Tourism

n Buying & Merchandising Team Decision Making

n Retail Management

n E-Commerce Business Plan

n Marketing Management

n Business Law & Ethics Team Decision Making

n Leadership Development Academy

In a message to area credit unions, Pamela Heald, President & CEO of Reliant FCU stated, “When I was in college, I was a DECA member. It was a great opportunity to ‘visit professional life’ while still being a student. Not only is this a terrific experience for the students but also the preparation of these students will also boost their ability to contribute both personally and professionally in our communities and credit unions. The goals of DECA, commonly known as the 4 points of the DECA Diamond, are to promote leadership development, civic consciousness, social intelligence and vocational understanding.”

Many of the students who presented indicated that they use their DECA experiences in essays for college applications, and resumes. Many colleges have DECA chapters at the collegiate level and recognize the high-level of performance students achieve at the high school level.

One student from Our Lady of Mercy responded how her DECA experiences have helped her be a better communicator – to the point where she now has a better relationship with her parents by using those communication skills.

As a result of this presentation to the above mentioned credit unions, a total of $4,450 was pledged to all of the area schools that are to attend the DECA ICDC to help defray the costs of attending.