Saline County Career Center Marketing Instruction and DECA Advisor, Kerry Henley was awarded the DECA Diamond Award by a group of her peers from the chapter’s district, district 4 at the State Career Development Conference on September 18, 2020. District 4 chapters include Carrollton Area Career Center, Cass County Career Center, Clinton Technical School, Fort Osage CTC, Fort Osage Independence, Grain Valley, Leeton HS, Odessa, Pleasant Hill HS, Saline County Career Center, Smith Cotton HS, and Warrensburg Career Center. The Missouri DECA Diamond Award is presented each year at conference to chapter advisors for the outstanding contributions made to their district. Due to Covid-19 canceling the State and International competition, the announcement was not made until the beginning of this school year during the first district 4 meeting.
“It’s an honor to be selected by my district DECA advisors peers who work very hard each year, especially this year with all the new obstacles that we are facing. They all deserve this award just as much as I do. Working at the Saline County Career Center as the marketing instructor and DECA advisor has been my dream since I took marketing and was a DECA member myself as a high school senior in 1989. If it wasn’t for my marketing teacher, Mr. Richard Goss, I never would have known how much I would appreciate being a teacher and an advisor. He inspired me to want to be an inspiration to my students one day as he was to me and so many others. These last four years, I truly feel fortunate to work with some of the best advisors who have always been very supportive of each other in our district. I know that we will continue to work hard for the success of our students.” -Henley
During the meeting it was noted that since joining the Saline County Career Center as the Marketing instructor and DECA Advisor in 2016, Henley has not been afraid to take on new adventures with the chapter and during her first year as an advisor took her students to New York for a marketing workshop and then later to California for the International Career Development Conference. It was also noted that she is always willing to help her colleagues with their endeavors and does so with a smile.
Over the last two years her chapter has helped represent district 4 and Missouri DECA by earning Thrive status and completing more than four chapter campaigns which included the Community Service Campaign, Global Entrepreneurship Week Campaign, Promotional Campaign, and the Advocacy Campaign. Throughout the last four years, she has represented her district and has been recognized on the International level as well for her role as a DECA Advisor. Previously in July of 2019, Henley was recognized by MCEA, Marketing and Cooperative Education Association, for her innovations in marketing and overall contributions to the marketing education instructional program at the Saline County Career Center.