Putting Business Knowledge to the Test: DLS Students Prepare for DECA Competition 

During a recent lunchtime, Post-it notes were spread across the tables as De La Salle’s DECA students gathered and began selecting potential events to compete in during this 2026-2027 school year.

Some were leaning toward individual events, while others preferred working as a team.

And although the calendar says October, the competition rounds begin in December.

DLS faculty member and DECA moderator Dennis Koch, ‘94, plans to return to the state competition in downtown Detroit in March 2027.

The 2026-2027 team may be the most accomplished ever, with several returning members, along with a few new participants.

A Growing Team, More Event Opportunities

DECA now requires all student participants — who must be juniors or seniors — to have completed or to be currently enrolled in a Business class; Koch will be submitting class lists in November.

The DLS Business curriculum includes Introduction to Business, Accounting, Bloomberg Finance, and new for the 2026-2027 school year, Advanced Placement (AP) Business.

Over 50 students, primarily juniors and seniors, have signed on, along with four sophomores who competed in the 2025-2026 school year as freshmen; those freshmen are “grandfathered in” for this year, and will be the only underclassmen on the team.

There are 20 individual events and 9 team events, and with a large team, Koch notes that DLS could have three or four students or teams in an event. Read more about DECA events

Koch and his DECA Student Leadership team (listed below) reviewed the Post-it notes, with the goal of matching students with events that complement student interests, skills, and coursework. For example, accounting students may be directed toward accounting-related events, while those who have taken Introduction to Business have a wider variety of event possibilities.

More Than Winning or Advancing to States

Koch sees value in the combination of business knowledge along with communication skills and thinking on one’s feet.

While DECA is a competition, DECA is also a learning experience.

Students learn to take what they know, think through a real-world business situation, and communicate a response on the spot.

Koch is particularly interested in making sure students actually experience those elements rather than simply completing a project or paper.

“Sometimes project-based events can result in students completing papers or projects at the last minute, potentially with the assistance of AI or other outside resources, rather than developing the skills DECA is intended to teach,” Koch said.

“My preference is for students to participate in events that require them to know the material and demonstrate what they know in person.”

The Road to Competition

Participants initially take an online exam on December 2, which counts for ⅓  of the student’s score, followed by the “role play” competition, worth ⅔,  at Macomb Community College on December 15.

The combined scores — from the exam and the in-person event — determine which students advance to the state competition.

Student Leadership

Student leaders for the 2026-2027 team include:

• President Dominic Tamulevich, ‘27
• Vice-President Jack Newby, ‘27
• Leaders Vince Bitonti, ‘27, Nick Samartino, ‘27, and Jimmy Tocco ‘27

Both Vince Bitonti and Nick Samartino have been selected to represent DLS on Michigan’s DECA District Council, which meets monthly; their first meeting is October 7.