Shelter Island students shine at county competition
When the Shelter Island School District hired Martha Tuthill last year, the district gained not just an experienced guidance teacher but an innovator, according to district officials.
What Ms. Tuthill brought to the Island is an understanding that her job was not just to guide students’ curriculum choices toward college, but to open up opportunities for all students to experience the world of work.
Toward that end, she has initiated the DECA program, previously known as the Distributive Education Club of America, for Island students. In its inaugural year, 13 Shelter Island students participated this month in regional competitions at Suffolk County Community College in Selden, competing in creating public service advertisements, public speaking, mock job interviews and testing.
When Ms. Tuthill accompanied the students to the competition, she envisioned the outing as a chance to experience the event and not focused on competing, she said. Pleasantly surprised, every students did well and four came home with awards — hardly a typical achievement for a first-time team, she said.
“They worked hard,” she said, noting the students were nervous on the way to the competition. She was particularly proud because the event has grown with 1,800 students from Suffolk County competing,
“It’s getting tougher and tougher to win awards,” Ms. Tuthill said.
Elizabeth Dunning won a public service visual advertising billboard award. Henry Lang won his competition for a job interview involving a front desk job at a Marriott Hotel. Olivia Yeaman and Julia Labrozzi won awards in the principles of marketing that involved studying materials and then taking written tests to demonstrate their abilities. Nicolette Frasco received an honorable mention for extemporaneous public speaking.
Having DECA on their resumes will give students an advantage when they apply for college and jobs, Ms. Tuthill said.
The aim of the competition isn’t necessarily to guide students to business careers, she noted. But even if they opt not to pursue a career in business, their experience will help to prepare them for many other fields, she said.
It was heartening to have 13 students sign up for the first year, Ms. Tuthill said. But she attributes part of the reason so many students chose to compete to James “Jimbo” Theinert, a popular business and finance teacher, who became involved with the team.
Those who win awards at the regional level become eligible to compete at the state competition in March, but in this first year of the program, financing for such a trip isn’t in the budget, Ms. Tuthill said. The average cost is $700 per student.
“It was a conscious choice not to go,” Ms. Tuthill said.
Instead, she plans a special field trip for the team at a place to be determined.
