As you begin looking ahead to next year’s classes, here are some ideas shared by teachers during a roundtable discussion at Conclave. Have a better idea? Let us know by visiting the Contact Us section. We’ll add your suggestion to the list. Thanks!

• Parade of excellence: showcase of projects and awards displayed in various locations throughout the building
• Endorsements by local businesses
• Review applications for work permits for potential students
• Offer college credit (dual enrollment, etc.) for selected courses as part of an articulation program (Position classes with Tech Prep program)
• Post photos of students participating in various events–-both local and at state and national conferences
• Get quotes (endorsements) from former students, business, etc. Blow them up very large and post throughout the building
• Post materials in classrooms used for required academic courses (math, English, social studies, etc.)
• Get involved with principal’s awards ceremony
• Do a strategic marketing plan so that your activities tie together and make a positive positioning statement
• Have current students target potential students from appropriate grade level; provide materials for them to distribute
• Use MBAResearch curriculum posters in all academic rooms to make the point to both the students and to the academic teachers that program is challenging and standards-based
• Do a parent newsletter for all parents
• Involve counselors in key events; use them as chaperones for DECA
• Do a Jeopardy-style game in social studies class with questions about current events and about program
• Do a special informal pizza lunch by invitation for serious candidates
• Have an open-house day for students with a free period (or study hall) to stop in the classroom for a snack and to see awards, talk to best students, etc.
• Organize an afternoon get-together with counselors and best students to discuss program. Use food as a motivation for coming.
• Build a PowerPoint presentation with photos from events
• Make key administrators and counselors professional members of DECA
• Have a career fair featuring local business leaders and former students
• Involve recent graduates who are majoring in marketing or business
• Treat other teachers as a market; many of them influence younger students to take or not to take marketing
• Involve counselors and other teachers in mock interviews, mock events, etc.
• Get counselors and other teachers to serve as judges for district and state events
• Collect employment data on current and past students; publicize how much they earn in a year
• Publicize DECA scholarship among parents, counselors, and students--especially parents and counselors