Bradford Era – by Savannah Barr
Mara Ours, a junior at Smethport High School, is a proud member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). Recently, Ours went above and beyond at the State Career Development Conference, taking home two medals in the Restaurant and Food Service Management event. She has qualified for the International Career Development Conference, to be held in Orlando, Fla., this April.

“This was a huge deal for a little school like ours,” said Shelby Rhoades, club advisor. “We were competing against schools who had as many DECA members as we do students in our whole district.”

DECA gives students the opportunity to prepare for their futures by practicing business skills in a competition. Geared toward students enrolled in business classes, DECA helps emerging leaders and entrepreneurs reach their full potential. The club has seen a huge boom in Smethport over the last few years. Read More