From August 12th to 15th, the Harker DECA Officer Team traveled to Santa Cruz for the annual officer retreat. The trip focused on developing the team’s leadership skills, bonding with each other, and preparing for the upcoming school year. Team bonding included solving an escape room, cooking within the sub-teams of executives, operations, competitions, and public relations, and playing cards during game night. 

On Monday, the team went grocery shopping for their pre-planned meals, and officers were given the opportunity to relax while the Executive team cooked and served pineapple fried rice. The next day the Competitions team made pancakes for breakfast. The officers then completed an escape room at EXIT Escape Rooms where they participated in a team building activity in which they identified important traits in a leader and discussed the significance of trust, responsibility, freedom, loyalty, and cooperation within a team. In the afternoon, the sub-teams worked on tasks for the upcoming DECA Launch event, enjoyed dinner at the beach, and played cards during game night. Wednesday’s schedule consisted of eating late breakfast omelettes made by the Operations team, swimming and games at the beach, tacos prepared by the Public Relations team for dinner, and a beach bonfire with s’mores. During the bonfire, the sub-teams discussed their group goals for the year, and officers also shared their individual goals. Overall, the trip allowed officers the opportunity to get to know each other, grow together as a team, and prepare for DECA Launch and the school year. 

‍