Stevenson students design shoes, hear from Nike exec at virtual conference

STEVENSON — Stevenson High School DECA students attended Innovate2020, the Western Leadership Development Conference, virtually this year from Nov. 9-13. Students typically attend the conference in Bellevue to compete against chapters from around the state. Formerly known as Distributive Education Clubs of America, students in the club practice leadership skills including goal setting, consensus building and project management. At the virtual conference, students had the opportunity to hear from Howard White, vice president of Nike’s Jordan brand and also participate in a sneaker design competition. “It was a bummer with the conference being virtual-only, however, the students engaged more than I thought they would and really enjoyed the conference,” Katie Mantel, Stevenson High School’s business teacher who also serves as the school chapter’s DECA adviser, said in a news release. “DECA truly did an outstanding job of still making the conference fun and engaging for students, even if it was virtual.”