Hermiston School District

The Hermiston High School DECA club received national Gold-Level Certification for the HHS Student Store.

The certification marks the first time in HHS history that the DECA club has received the honor. Gold-Level Certification is the highest level awarded by DECA, Inc. and the national advisory board.

“This certification represents a significant investment of time and effort on the part of HHS DECA students,” said DECA Advisor Dawna Martin.

The club submitted 64 pages of documentation covering all aspects of the management and operation of the student store. The members had to show proof that they apply industry best practices in 12 separate areas of operation ranging from personnel management, to inventory control, to bookkeeping. Aside from the documentation, the manual needed to include at least six letters of support from community members representing business partners, district administration or the school board, school administration and staff, and parents or community members.

Club officers, Communications Director Lili Gomez, Historian Kimberly Macias, and Operations Director Amanda Pomeroy, coordinated the submission effort.

The HHS DECA club will be recognized at the State Career Development Conference and at the International Career Development Conference. The club will now participate in a School Based Enterprise (SBE) academy and competition at ICDC. Gold-Level certified schools are recognized on the national DECA website and in the ICDC printed program. If the club wins at the SBE competition at ICDC, its presentation will be posted on the national DECA website.