ALPENA — Campus Closet, the school-based enterprise at Alpena High School, was among 246 school-based enterprises achieving Gold Recertification for the 2020-2021 school year and will be recognized during DECA’s Virtual International Career Development Conference April 19-23.

A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA advisors have used this effective educational tool for over 40 years to give students realistic, practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st century skill development, and prepare them for college and careers.

The AHS DECA members who contributed to the certification were Jenna Zielaskowski and Makenzie Heyliger with the assistance of their DECA chapter advisor, Melissa Timmreck, and Marketing Paraprofessional Marga Decker. The SBE at AHS has operated for over 35 years and is being commended for this achievement.

“DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program is a rigorous process designed to help DECA members demonstrate their classroom learning in a practical, learning laboratory, and then translate that into meaningful outcomes,” said Christopher Young, CAE, Chief Program Officer at DECA Inc. “These DECA members are practicing important workplace readiness skills while preparing for college and careers.”

DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program provides recognition for outstanding achievement by school-based enterprises and to motivate SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: bronze, silver or gold. In order to apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that explains how the SBE demonstrates the practice of various marketing and retail standards. A review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved. DECA’s School-based Enterprise programs are sponsored by Intuit and Otis Spunkmeyer Inc.

For more information about DECA, visit http://www.deca.org.