From the recent tailgate to an upcoming 5k, Business Research students are hard at work planning and creating projects to present at this years DECA state finals.

Business Research teacher Patricia Riley explained that for the class students must choose a project and actually plan events.

“I require it to be a multi-tiered project that involves more than just one event,” Riley said.

They can choose between over 15 categories of events from the DECA program.

“In the end all groups must write a 30-page paper along with their presentations in front of the DECA judges,” Riley said.

According to Riley, this year’s groups are exploring many different categories.  One group is working on the school store through the Learn and Earn category. Three groups are in the Public Relations category (Super Fan club, an Algonquin video to promote to middle school students and their parents, and one group that’s advertising a change in local TV channels). There are two groups in the Community Service category (one is going to the elementary school to teach empathy, the other is doing fundraising for the Metro West Boys and Girls Club).  Finally, a group in the Entrepreneurship Written category will be creating a business plan.

Seniors Baylee Burns, Stephanie McGovern, and Allie Courtwright make up the ‘For the Kids’ group competing in the Community Service category.  All of the money they raise will go to the three Boys and Girls Clubs facilities in the Metro West area.

Their first event for the kids is a 5k color run/walk at Algonquin with prizes for the winners on October 26th.

“People should run the 5k because [the Boys and Girls Club] has over 700 people over all 3 clubs that they take care of after school. The run is going to be really fun and everything you do is going to benefit someone else,” Stephanie McGovern said.

McGovern said to follow @5KForTheKids on twitter for updates and to register for the upcoming race.

Although there is a marketing class prerequisite to be eligible to take Business Research, many students find it to be beneficial in planning for their future.

“I chose to take business research because I want to go into business in college so I decided it would be a good class for me,” junior Mike Tascione said.

“I want to go into the field of dietetics, and one part that I could study would be the marketing part of that field. I also competed in DECA last year and I had a great experience.  Basically I am preparing for the future,” senior Sammi Falkowski said.