Matt Wotus
Features Editor
 |
From Left to Right: Bailey, Silk, and Valdini on stage.
Photo by Nick Gilliam. |
Three Apex DECA students finished
in the top 17 in the world at the
DECA
International Career
Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim, California. Thousands of DECA
students from around the world competed in their respective categories at the
ICDC, with Apex seniors Matt Bailey, Mike Silk, and Jeff Valdini finishing near
the top with their Learn & Earn Project. The trio held a dance event for
high school students in December, with all funds going towards HopeSpring
Village, a proposed assisted-living facility where adults with disabilities can
receive proper care. In total, they raised over $3,000, and after expenses,
donated more than $2,300 to the building of HopeSpring Village. They also
promoted the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign, asking students to
pledge to stop using the derogatory “r-word.”
All three have a personal connection to the
project, as they each have a relative with a disability, including Bailey’s
younger brother, who has Down syndrome.
“It can’t be
described,” Valdini said of finishing in the top 17 in the world. “All three of
us were ecstatic. We felt like our hard work paid off. It was probably one of
the defining moments of high school.” Bailey agreed, saying that having their
names called was shocking. “We were in front of 16,000 people receiving an
award for our school and our state; it was phenomenal,” he added.
All three agreed
that winning wasn’t as important as the difference they were making for those
with disabilities. “Every little bit counts. Because we raised that amount of
money, we’re going to make a difference in someone’s life,” Silk said.
The following students won
International Platinum Awards of Excellence:
Paula Crisp – Advertising
Campaign
Kenzie Krogh and Kate Leff –
Marketing Communications Team
Emily Rabb – Finance Research
Matt Bailey, Mike Silk, and Jeff
Valdini – Learn & Earn Project
Connor Linton, Jerrod Beresid,
and Kate Hobble – Sports & Entertainment Research
Nick Gilliam, Jenny, Wilkes, and
Shelby Wilt – Public Relations Project
Siri Chadalavada, Matt Felts, and
Weston Goldberg – Financial Literacy Promotion Project
Dipali Aphale and Karen Cheng –
Community Service Project
Laura Brockington, Nicole
Gonzalez, and Ciara Healey – Business Services Research
