Class Act: DECA

High school students in Helena can participate in many extracurricular activities. In this week’s Class Act, Beartooth NBC shows us how one club gives students job skills and a reason to give back.

Capital High students in the Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, have taken on the project of "Feeding Helena."

"There's a lot more people that no one realizes that these people aren't getting as much food and if they do know, then they don't know how they can help it.  So we're just creating awareness," Says DECA student, Anastazia Vanisko.

"Today's students are playing sports, they're doing well in academics, but one area that we don't seem to focus a lot on is how they need to give back to their community and DECA allows them that opportunity," says CHS DECA Advisor Karey Conn

"To actually go talk to the people who you're helping and, like volunteerism at Food Share, you get the experience and you get to help people and you actually see how people are responding to you and how much they appreciate what you're doing," says DECA student, Katya Peterson

DECA students have held food drives at basketball games, helped out at Food Share and have put calls out to the community to raise money for Meals on Wheels. The project also helps prepare students for jobs they might have in the future.

"Getting experience with being in leadership positions and just kind of work experience because you have to make phone calls to coordinate everything," says Vanisko.

"It gives them a little idea of the field of marketing, communication, public relations, community service," says Conn.

Organizers say the program also teaches club members the importance of giving back.

"If they become involved when they're a student, then as a young adult they get involved in the community and clubs and we need to just keep that growing and going through the cycle," says Conn.

Reaching out to help the Helena community makes Capital High's DECA students a Class Act.

DECA's fundraising efforts will continue through the end of January. Students will be collecting donations for Food Share at Capital High's basketball games this Thursday and Saturday.

Story by Kaelyn Kelly, Beartooth NBC.
Sponsored by Sylvan Learning Center of Helena.
Copyright ©2012 Beartooth Communications Company. All Rights Reserved.