ARLINGTON- Arlington High School DECA shined at an area competition in January, setting records for most awards gained and preparing the young marketing and business students for state competition.

In all, 32 teens – two thirds of the school’s DECA students and largest contingency ever – qualified to move on to the state competition after competing Jan. 12 at the Area 1 Competition at Monroe High School.

The team brought home 42 medals, the most awards the program has ever received at the area competition, DECA advisor Tyler Payne said. “We had 10 first-place test takers.”

The students spent several months preparing for the competition, Payne said. They took practice tests, studied role play and worked on their prepared presentations. They also participated in a mock competition where they set up tables with “judges,” practiced their role playing and shared their presentations.

The state competition is set for Feb. 28-March 2 in Bellevue.