McKenzie High School DECA Attends Chattanooga Conference

CHATTANOOGA — Twenty-nine members of the McKenzie High School DECA joined over 3,500 high school business, finance, hospitality and marketing students at the annual association career development conference held February 24-27, 2026, at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

The following students received awards and placements in the following categories:

Brody Berryhill and Gracie Aird placed first in International Business Plan.

Avery Brown, Cole Brown and Sophie Cole placed second in Finance Operations Research.

Makayla Dabbs and Kinsley Wilson placed third in Integrated Marketing Campaign - Service.

Carlton Townes received acknowledgment for serving as DECA TN Vice President of Marketing, and Sophie Cole sang the opening National Anthem. Both are first-time honors for the school.

These students will advance to international level competition at the DECA International Career Development Conference April 25-28, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga.

DECA’s industry-validated competitive events are aligned with the National Curriculum Standards in the career clusters of marketing, business management and administration, finance, and hospitality and tourism.

DECA’s competitive events directly contribute to every student being college and career-ready when they graduate from high school. More than 300 business professionals evaluated the members’ performance in the format of role-plays, case studies and prepared presentations.