DECA, Mock Trial, Model UN

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. The DECA network is very broad and includes over 15,000 elite business students across Ontario and over 220,000 around the world.

St. Jude’s Academy students in Grades 9 to 12 have the opportunity to participate in regional, provincial and international conferences, competing in a business case study competition. Participants compete for awards and scholarships recognized by employers, universities and colleges.

The St. Jude’s Academy DECA Chapter is led by our students with the assistance of teachers. The club is dedicated to recognizing the broad interests of students and selecting competitions that will allow them to develop their skills while having fun.

The St. Jude’s DECA experience is best captured by the stories of our students and alumni:

In the 2016-2017 academic year, a group of St. Jude’s Academy Grade 12 and Grade 11 students started our school’s DECA chapter.

In that same year, alumnus Orlando Scarlett (then in Grade 11), participated in a marketing competition at the regional level, placing in the top 10, and moving on to the provincial level. At the provincial competition, hosted at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Toronto each year with over 3,000 students, Orlando placed 5^th in his category and was selected to represent Ontario at DECA International Career Development Conference 2017 in Anaheim, California. After days of competing and training, Orlando was a Top 20 finalist. Recalling his experience, Orlando notes, “DECA is so much more than a business competition. It provided me with a great opportunity to meet other like-minded students with a desire for professional development. The thrill of exploring a great city like Anaheim and interacting with the judges who are often leaders in their fields were two of my favourite moments of high school. When my classmates and I decided to start the SJA DECA chapter, we had the full support of our teachers and were given the necessary resources required to be successful.”

At St. Jude’s Academy, we encourage our students to challenge themselves and develop their skills outside the classroom. DECA provides a great opportunity to do this and more.

This amazing learning experience allows students to understand what real lawyers go through in preparing for a case and questioning witnesses. Students learned to develop communication skills and social skills as they worked alongside their teammates to fight for their client in the case. Students also developed resilience in overcoming the adversities they faced during preparation and throughout the competition, learning to quickly think on their feet and adapt to multiple situations.

This year’s team represented SJA at the International Empire Mock Trial tournament in New York City, they have been around since 2016-2017 and have shown the collaborative drive and commitment needed to compete at the international level.

Model United Nations is a global educational initiative in which students learn about the UN and international relations. SJA’s Model UN students practise their leadership, speaking and negotiation and then showcase these skills at Model UN conferences, meant to simulate real UN international debates and conversations.

SJA’s 2019-2020 Model UN students are currently preparing for their attendance to a virtual conference this June 2020 to discuss and debate the topic of COVID-19.