Students involved in Northport High School’s Distributive Education Club of America recently competed in the Emerging Leaders Competition at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue on Dec. 4. 
Students, Harsh Patel and Rafiq Elkiki, won first place in retail marketing, but the school had its fair share of second place winners as well. Tage Oster was recognized for his entrepreneurship work, Jamie Saturno and Meghan Smith for graphic design and branding, and Kerry Dennis and Ayla Lerner for excelling in the human resources category. 
Third place winners included Ryan Reynolds and Olivia Caulfield, who earned their award in hospitality and tourism, as well as Annalee Myers and Ted Kavanaugh, who were recognized for their finance work. 
The high school students competed against more than 300 students from high schools across Suffolk and Nassau counties and performed in front of judges from the Huntington Chamber of Commerce. 
DECA is a national youth organization dedicated to developing marketing and management skills in high school students. Throughout the school year, the club’s members compete against other high school chapters in local, state and national events.