On Nov. 23, Wareham High School student Kailee Rose donned a wireless headset to communicate from across the gym with fellow student Priscilla Ross and other DECA members as they organized the clubs annual craft fair.

DECA, which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, is an organization that prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. On Saturday, the Wareham High School branch of the organization was hard at work ensuring their craft fair featuring 56 vendors selling a variety handmade items, ran smoothly

Lisa Cunha, a business and marketing teacher and the advisor for DECA, said her students found the vendors, created the contracts and marketing plans and designed the floor layout for the event.

“This is fully student run, I just kind of advise and push them along,” Cunha said.

On Saturday the gym was filled with a variety of offerings ranging from paintings and pottery to baked goods and clothing.

Each vendor also donated one item to the club's silent auction.

DECA students patrolled the gym selling raffle tickets, with half of the proceeds going to the winner and the other half supporting the club.

“This helps fund our business competitions and future events that we have,” Ross said. “There’s lots of great experiences that the money can be put towards.”

This year marked the third annual craft fair hosted by the club, an event that Cunha proposed after the pandemic canceled their previous annual event, a home and living show.

Cunha noted a significant increase in vendors this year, with 20 more sellers showcasing their goods than in 2023.

“The students have all worked really, really hard. They’ve put in a lot of hours and volunteer time today to make this run smoothly and all we hear from the vendors is how wonderful they’ve done,” Cunha said.