Ridgewood Career-Tech Students Earn High Honors In Global Competition

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Local career-tech students won top honors against thousands of high schoolers from across the globe.

Ridgewood High School student-members of an international career and technical organization received certificates of excellence and placed among finalists in a global competition held in April in Orlando.

Of the 165 Ridgewood students in DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America), 39 qualified to compete at the international level, three placed in the top 20 and one finished fifth — each in their respective events.

“(The conference) was an amazing experience, said Margaret Zhou, the fifth-place finalist in the Accounting Application event. "We had fun as a chapter and learned a lot."

During the school year, nearly 100,000 high school students participate in DECA's competitive events program, allowing the organization members to vie for local, regional and international titles.

The events, a Ridgewood school district spokesperson said, are designed to simulate real-life business scenarios and test students' understanding and skills. Winners from the regional competitions "put their talents to the test" during the program's final round in Orlando, where more than 22,000 students competed.

“The tradition of us participating at the (international) level spans 45 years,” Ridgewood teacher and DECA advisor Karen Mendez said. “Although the number of competitors at (the conference) fluctuates from year to year, this was one of Ridgewood's largest groups in... history.”

Mendez and Paul Cronk, also a local teacher and DECA advisor, helped the students with competition preparation.

"I'm grateful for the help, guidance and support from my DECA advisors and fellow competitors, and (am) excited to continue pursuing my passion," said Matt Hirsh, a top-20 finalist in the Stock Market Game event and graduating member of Ridgewood DECA.

"I'm honored to (have represented) Ridgewood High School as a... finalist," Hirsh said.