echopress.

com echo press | Wednesday, February 3, 2021 | 9

A Salute to Academic Excellence continued...

DECA
This business club offers high school students
many different opportunities, including the
chance to make a difference in their hometowns.
This year, three of those students, all
Alexandria High School juniors, raised $40,000 for
Habitat for Humanity of Douglas County.
It was the most ever raised by a student group
in the Alexandria DECA program.
“We had a cancer group that raised about
$10,000, but never $40,000,” said Eric Hartmann.
“They’ve been so motivated, which is so cool.
They want to compete well for DECA but they
also want to impact their community.”
Embracing a local nonprofit or business is one
of the ways students can take part in DECA. The
three students — Erik Hedstrom, Ben Borden
and Lilly Thul — chose to help Habitat because
Ben was impressed with the organization after
working at the ReStore, Hartmann said. Then
they learned of a $20,000 matching grant offered
through State Farm Insurance. They worked with
local agent Amy Christopherson, put together
a presentation and became one of four student
groups across the country chosen for the grant.
To raise the $20,000 necessary to match State
Farm’s offer, they organized fundraisers. Among
them was providing Cardinal-colored boards
to donors for $100 each that the donors could
display in their offices while soliciting donations
from employees. The boards were then used in
the Habitat home.
Mary Gorghuber, donor relations coordinator
for Habitat, said her organization was “thrilled”
to work with the students, and that the money will
go toward the 2020 Habitat Cardinal Alumni Build
home now under construction.
“Our Habitat team has been impressed by the
student's hard work, tenacity, professionalism,
and creativity,” she said.
Raising such a sum was a highlight of a year
that has been hit hard by the pandemic. DECA’s
activities have largely gone virtual, and its
membership dropped to 100 from an anticipated
150, Hartmann said.
Their virtual state competition will be held in
March.
DECA Advisors are Hartmann and Megan Jacob.

DECA CABINET
1st row: Kelsey Fletcher, Payton DECA PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Olson, Kamryn Coauette, Sophie 1st row: Aisling O'Connor, Hattie Galloway, Lilly Thul, Hailie Kent, Avery Hagstrom, Josie Steidl;
Anderson, Josie Steidl, Avery 2nd row: Peter Sansted, Ben Borden, Myles Sansted, Tyler Bright, Collin Reilly; 3rd row: Brennan Lattimer, Wyatt Odland, Erik Hedstrom
Hagstrom, Taylor Nelson;
2nd row: Zachary Kent, Caleb
Wendel, Ethan Johnson,
Dylan Nelson

Boards were painted the high

school’s colors, red and black,
DECA and included in the Cardinal
Erik Hedstrom, Lilly Thul and Ben Borden Alumni Build Habitat home.

MEMBERS
Sophie Anderson Hattie Galloway Maya Klimek Summer Overland Morgan Stangler
Tai Auran Avery Hagstrom Tyler Kludt Brennan Parker Aidan Staples
Emma Ballou Hadyn Halverson Brynn Kosters Samuel Peterson Gabriella Staples
Benjamin Borden Ella Halvorson Cora Larson Sydnee Peterson Josie Steidl
Nicholas Borden Erik Hedstrom Brennan Lattimer Taeren Peterson Ella Steussy
Ryker Bosek Logan Hegg Hannah Lopez Noah Pohlen Berg Swanson
Kelly Boyden Madison Heid Libby Luedeke Ellie Rauk Andrew Swedberg
Rachel Boyden Jonathan Hennen Emma Magaard Colin Reilly Alexis Swendsrud
Tyler Bright Bryr Homelvig Ryan Meuwissen Rylee Richards Mackenzie Thang
Stella Brown Zander Homelvig Kyler Miller Zander Roemer Jack Theien
Mitchell Chlian Matthew Jiang Joseph Moga Victoria Rounds Kate Theien
Kya Christopherson Sarah Jiang Kennedy Montgomery Aaron Safarik Lillian Thul
Beverly Clobes Andrew Johnson Pieter Mulder Myles Sansted Allison Trombley
Kamryn Coauette Ethan Johnson Dylan Nelson Peter Sansted Courtney Violette
Dayton Downing Kelly Johnson Olivia Nelson Colton Schabel Caleb Wendel
Alexa Eggebraaten Sidney Johnson Taylor Nelson Erik Schabel Grace Wink
Gavryn Fernholz Morgan Jones Marki Oberg Landon Schabel Erika Zick
Kelsey Fletcher Hailie Kent Aisling O'Connor Sonja Schabel
Zachary Frederiksen Zachary Kent Wyatt Odland Brayden Schlangen
Carson Froke Isaac Kershaw Payton Olson Jaxon Schoenrock
Elena Fuglestad Thomas Klecker Payton Olson Ava Simonson

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