PCHS Bulletin – Kylie Bouchard
Date Published - Sept. 30, 2025
DECA is a career and technical student organization that students can join at Parrish Community High School. It helps students become more comfortable working with others and helping other people and their community. It can help make the years in high school more memorable!
Brandon Mefford is the advisor of DECA. He thinks that the club offers a lot of great opportunities for students including trips.
“These trips have included the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stadium, the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey games, Top Golf, Pop Stroke, Universal Studios, and Disney World,” Mefford said.
He also said, “DECA also gives students hands-on experience of running actual events. Last year our students ran a Corn Hole tournament to raise food for our local food pantry.”
Previously, DECA also adopted Ft. Hamer Rd by the new park and cleaned it up.
This year, the have the following events planned so far:
Field trip to Top Golf in October (date pending)
Community Service Road Clean up on October 18
New York City Trip in December (date pending)
Mefford enjoys the opportunity he gets by helping out with DECA. He got to experience taking kids on their first airplane, traveling to different states, conferences, and competitions. The competitions they participate in have 1000s of students.
This year's competition series will start in November. Last year, DECA student Avery Scribner qualified for states. So the bar is set for the program to perform well again this year.
DECA is a great opportunity for students at PCHS. It prepares them for the real world as Mefford said, “by thinking creatively, learning how to dress professionally, giving professional presentations, and giving them real world experiences to help them prepare for their future in anything they want to pursue.”
To join DECA, students must take the marketing class as it is a co-curricular club.
Students can follow the events of DECA by following their Instagram and TikTok social media accounts.