The Bear Necessities, a school-based enterprise (SBE) at Blacksburg High School, is among 512 such student operations in the United States to have achieved gold-level certification, indicative of the highest levels of management and operation.
Located in the high school’s cafeteria area, the Bear Necessities provides easy access for students, teachers and parents interested in Blacksburg High School apparel, jewelry and spirit items.
A school-based enterprise is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories. The stores operate under the strictures of DECA national standards in marketing, finance, hospitality and business management.
DECA as an acronym doesn’t stand for anything anymore. When it was established in 1946, it was Distributive Education Clubs of America because many of the students were in retail merchandising. Now, DECA serves students in marketing, hospitality and tourism, finance, business administration and entrepreneurship. DECA was retained because it is well recognized in the business world.
The Bear Necessities’ two managers, Carter Hill and Colin Wilson, worked on the certification process and paper submission that resulted in the gold-level achievement. Each chapter originally seeking to become gold certified had to submit an operations manual that covered ten standards. After certification, gold chapters can obtain re-certification for the next four years by submitting operational information on three standards. This school year the standards were financial analysis, product/service management, and pricing. This is what the Blacksburg duo of Hill and Wilson submitted to become gold-certified again.
The two managers will present at Virginia DECA’s upcoming state leadership conference. The certification also qualifies them to present their project and its operation at national DECA’s international career development conference in Nashville, Tenn., in April.
The Bear Necessities has operated for 11 years and has achieved the highest level of operational success each year. Marketing educators and DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool to provide realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st century skills development and prepare students for college and careers.
DECA’s SBE Certification Program was developed to provide recognition for outstanding achievement and to motivate SBE teams to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: bronze, silver or gold. To apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that demonstrates their adherence to various marketing and retail standards. After the documentation is submitted, a national review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved.
“I’m so proud of Carter and Colin,” said marketing teacher and Blacksburg’s DECA advisor, Kim Radford. “They, along with their classmates in the sports management class, spent many hours preparing work schedules, developing vendor relationships, surveying our target markets and creating new products for the business. This year we have devoted more time to surveying our market and pricing products effectively to reach our customers. The entire class has been involved in the success of The Bear Necessities. I’m excited we have the opportunity to showcase our business at the state and national competitions.”
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. DECA’s activities assist in the development of academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
