Mattituck students take home DECA honors

Southold and Mattituck high school business students brought home lots of glittering hardware from the regional DECA competitions, held Jan 5 at Suffolk Community College in Selden.

First-place trophy winners from Southold are: Frank Cone, extemporaneous public speaking; Sean O’Donnell, human resources decision-making; Sam Kortchmar, economics; Nicole Busso, sales demonstration; and Anne Davey, public speaking.

Jenny Roslak took home a second-place trophy for public service broadcast advertising.

Third-place winners are: Emma Richter, job interview; Stephen Best, business management; Maria Purita, visual advertising for newspapers; and Lauren Ficurilli, wholesale selling.

Other Southold students who won prizes are: Jackie Ruggles, accounting; Sara Abrams, apparel and accessories; Ernie Koslowski, human resources decision-making; Griffen Quist, extemporaneous public speaking; Preston Jolliver, public speaking; Chris Fouchet, public service visual advertising; Chris Bolettieri, economics; Megan Melly, retail merchandising; Melissa Rogers and Mackenzie Feely, marketing math; Aimee Andrejack and Joanna Pontino, buying and merchandising team event; and Elizabeth Anderson and

Megan Glenn, travel and tourism team event.

Teacher Kathy Williams said the students “put themselves out there and did a wonderful job, but most importantly, they acted like ambassadors of the Southold School community.”

Mattituck DECA students took home 36 trophies and seven honorable mentions.

Trophy winners are: Mackenzie Robertson, automotive services; Carly Batist, business services; Maria Peroni, hotel and lodging management; Caitlin Penny, marketing management; Kate Freudenberg and Alexander Goerler, quick serve restaurant management; Wilson Quizhpi, restaurant and food service management; Graham Homan and Daniel Baird, business law and ethics team event; Amy Dries and Sara Scholl, hospitality services management team event; Lisa Harbes and Veronica Stelzer, marketing communications team event; Colin Keil and Rebecca Mincieli, travel and tourism team event; and Tristan Keil and Ryan Bergen, business management and administration.

Meghan Daly took home a second-place trophy and Christina Fasolino won an award for principles of finance. Other awards went to Travis Zurawski, principles of hospitality and tourism; Jessica Stumpf, marketing decision-making; Connor Guditus, job interview; Erin Pozzolano, first-place trophy in extemporaneous public speaking; Nicole Krupski, public speaking; Melissa Barry, prepared public speaking;  Emily Fliss, sales demonstration; Nora Zuhoski, wholesale selling; Rebekah Smith, radio broadcast advertising; and Tim MacNish, third place trophy in public service broadcast advertising.

Morgan Gildersleeve won a second-place trophy for visual advertising. James Finora and Chaz Schneider won second- and third-place trophies, respectively, in the free enterprise category; and other awards in that category went to Shannon Sherida-Chiaro and Melissa Hand. Tracy Grim and Mally Fogarty won awards in marketing math.

Honorable mentions went to: Danielle Stepnoski, apparel and accessories; Emily Ciamaricone, food marketing; Katherine Wilcenski, hotel and lodging management; Megan Conklin, marketing management; Christine Bieber, restaurant and food service management; and Kim Mulrain and Marissa Russo, hospitality services management team event.

Mattituck plans to send 22 students to the state DECA competition in Rochester March 8-11. Southold expects to send about 20 competitors.

jlane@timesreview.com