The Ladue Ram Shack, the school-based enterprise at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, was recognized amongst various high schools across the nation for achieving GOLD level Certification for the 2023-2024 school year and will be recognized during DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, Ca. 

A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st-century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers. 

The Ladue DECA members who contributed to the GOLD certification were Luke Baumstark (12), Jax Bespalko (12), Sawyer Bland (12), Paige Busker (12), Lauren Clay (11), Helena Haines (10), Ben Manlin (12), Arden Poger (10), Aneesh Patil (11), Molly Shipley (10), Audrey Stockwell (10), Madison Stockwell (10), Nelson Vickar (11), and Weston Williams (12), with the assistance of their DECA chapter advisor Jessica Kennedy. 

DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program provides recognition for outstanding achievement by school-based enterprises and to motivate SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: bronze, silver, or gold. To apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that explains how the SBE demonstrates the practice of various marketing and retail standards. A review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved.