Student groups taking education on road

Two groups of Clovis High School students have been granted approval to travel to Tennessee and the nation’s capital, with one trip earmarked for national competition while the other endeavors to explore the nuances of U.S. citizenship.

During Tuesday’s regular meeting Clovis Municipal Schools board members voted to allow a contingent of Clovis High School DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) students to travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in the DECA International Career Development Conference, which is slated for April 22-27.

According to the travel request — which also required a waiver of the school-sponsored trip guideline limiting travel of more than 600 miles to once every three years — a total of five male and four female students will attend the DECA national session, along with a male and female sponsor.

Distributive Education Clubs of America is an international association of high school and college students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality and marketing.

“The students are required to have a minimum GPA (grade point average) of 3.0 while most of them have a GPA of 3.5 or higher with a couple having a 4.0,” said Clovis High School DECA advisor Tracy Henderson. “They have to have been a finalist at the state level and have attended an academy series. When they aren’t competing at nationals, they are required to be in academy workshops, such as investing in leadership skills and devising ways to integrate DECA skills into their collegiate pursuits.”

Henderson said the cost of the $950 trip is 100 percent funded by the students. She said students are allowed to raise funds, with one student selling banana bread to satisfy the required financial commitment.

Henderson said students compete at the district and state level, with the top four or top six state competitors advancing to the national phase.

Meanwhile, two female students and a female teacher will attend the Close-Up Conference in Washington June 12-18.

“The Close-Up trip is exclusively for migrant students and funded with federal dollars,” Federal Programs administrator Joe Strickland said. “The program is called New Americans and it’s basically a citizenship-based initiative demonstrating how the political system works in the United States. It’s been an excellent program.”

The Close-Up Conference itinerary includes visits to the Thomas Jefferson, George Mason and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorials, as well as scheduled legislative process prep workshops, a mock congressional debate, meetings with congressional delegations from New Mexico and the observance of a Senate and House of Representatives session.

“We want to congratulate the students for all of their hard work,” Clovis Municipal Schools Board President Kyle Snider said. “It’s nice when they come back after competing and share their experiences. It makes us feel good when we grant these types of requests.”