NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nineteen students from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School attended the Distributive Education Clubs of America International Career Development Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

The students competed in a variety of events, and some attended leadership development seminars, along with 14,000 other students from around the world.

Five students from Oxford Hills earned Awards of Excellence and three were finalists with the top 17 in the nation. Recipients of the Awards of Excellence were Dan Bolduc, Ashley Courington and Carina Brown.

Students who competed were Nicole Hemingway in Apparel and Accessories, Associate Level; Jennifer Manchester in Food Marketing, Associate Level; Krystal Pelletier in Apparel and Accessories, Management Level; Kelsea Pelletier in Apparel and Accessories, Management Level; Lindsey Perry in Marketing Management; Melissa Brown and Corri Runes in Travel and Tourism; Whitney Emends and Miranda Kennagh in Sports and Entertainment; Jamie Jones and Heather Nurmi in Hospitality Services; Kyle Raymond and Mike Billon in E-Commerce; Dan Bolduc, Carina Brown and Ashley Courington in Civic Consciousness Written Event.

Nicole McKee attended the Leadership Development Academy. She heard speakers who were involved in DECA in previous years. Roughly 1,000 students were divided into five groups. During the two days of attendance, each group rotated through activities, including learning how to dress appropriately in business attire, how to work as a team and how to be a leader. On the second day, there was also a graduation from the academy, where all of the students received a certificate of completion and a pin.

The four Oxford Hills chapter students attended as the state officers: Aly McKeen, Lindsey Perry, Kelsea Pelletier and Kellie Sunderland. They attended a leadership conference where activities included a guest motivational speaker and games.The Maine officers were grouped with other states to share leadership ideas. They also learned how to be better public speakers and developed a plan of action for the upcoming year.

Fund-raising activities for the event included a holiday craft fair, candy sales, car washes, a spaghetti dinner and basketball tournament. For more information, contact Pat Pelletier at 743-7756, ext. 5100.