Through a grant from the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, the Smithfield High School DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) chapter has been selected to receive a three-year license for the Knowledge Matters, Virtual Business Challenge (VBC) Hotel series.

The curriculum engages students by presenting them with challenges around 10 hospitality lessons and several projects, such as model simulations, key vocabulary words and quizzes to assess reading comprehension.

DECA Inc. has collaborated with the Marriott Foundation and Knowledge Matters for the Virtual Business Hotel curriculum for seven years, with the awards continuing to provide DECA advisers with the tools and resources to encourage students to explore careers in the hospitality industry.

As a co-curricular program, DECA offers marketing teachers the opportunity to utilize multiple interactive resources, including the exciting Knowledge Matters VBC Hotel Series, in Marketing classes at SHS, so that students benefit from real-life, industry-related experiences.

The three-year grant is valued at $1,795.