Where Business Meets the Real World
The Swag Shop at SLPS is more than a school store. It is a hands-on learning laboratory where students in the SLPS Entrepreneurship Program put business, marketing, leadership, finance, customer service, and management skills into practice.
Our partnership with DECA takes that learning even further.
Through DECA, students have opportunities to develop as emerging leaders and entrepreneurs, compete against students from across Missouri and the nation, attend professional conferences, network with business and industry leaders, and represent St. Louis Public Schools on a national stage.
The result is a program where students don’t just learn about business, they run one.
A DECA School-Based Enterprise
The Swag Shop operates as a DECA School-Based Enterprise (SBE), giving students the opportunity to manage a real retail business while still in high school.
Students take active roles in areas such as:
- Store operations and management
- Marketing and social media
- Merchandising and product development
- Inventory management
- Finance and accounting
- Customer service
- Apparel production and customization
- Sales and promotions
- Leadership and employee development
The store becomes an extension of the classroom, allowing students to apply concepts they learn in the Entrepreneurship Program to actual customers, products, sales, challenges, and business decisions.
Gold Standard School-Based Enterprise
The Swag Shop has earned DECA Gold-Level School-Based Enterprise Certification, the highest level of certification available through DECA’s School-Based Enterprise program.
Earning Gold certification requires much more than operating a successful store. Students must demonstrate how the business applies industry standards and classroom learning across areas such as operations, marketing, finance, management, customer relations, and business strategy.
Students help document and evaluate the operation, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate how their work connects to the skills expected in today’s business environment.
Our program earned Gold-Level certification in 2025 and 2026 and is continuing the pursuit of Gold certification as The Swag Shop expands its impact across St. Louis Public Schools.
For our students, Gold certification represents something even more important: their work is being measured against national standards for student-run businesses.
Beyond the Store: DECA Competition
Running The Swag Shop gives students real experience. DECA competition gives them an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Students can compete in events connected to areas including:
Marketing • Entrepreneurship • Finance • Hospitality • Management • Business Administration
Depending on the event, students may analyze a business situation, complete a role-play, develop a written project, deliver a professional presentation, or work with a partner to solve a business challenge.
Students prepare throughout the school year, developing communication, critical-thinking, problem-solving, presentation, and professional skills that extend well beyond competition.
Where DECA Can Take You
DECA also gives students opportunities to learn and compete outside the classroom.
Sports & Entertainment Marketing Conference
Students have the opportunity to experience marketing through one of the industries they know best — sports and entertainment.
Conference experiences allow students to explore how professional organizations approach branding, promotions, fan engagement, sponsorships, sales, and event management while learning directly from professionals working in the industry.
District Competition
DECA competition begins closer to home.
At the district level, students put their preparation to the test through competitive events and role-plays. Students have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, compete alongside other emerging business leaders, and work toward advancement to higher levels of DECA competition.
International Career Development Conference — ICDC
For qualifying students, the DECA journey can lead to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC).
ICDC brings together DECA members from around the world for several days of competition, leadership development, networking, educational experiences, and recognition.
Students who reach ICDC have the opportunity to represent St. Louis Public Schools on an international stage while experiencing one of the largest student business and leadership conferences in the world.
For many students, it becomes one of the defining experiences of their high school career.
Find Your Place in DECA
You don’t have to already know how to run a business.
You don’t have to consider yourself a salesperson.
And you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do after high school.
You just have to be ready to try something new.
DECA gives students interested in business, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, leadership, sports, entertainment, hospitality, and many other career areas a place to develop their skills and discover what they’re capable of doing.
Members can compete, travel, participate in leadership activities, help operate The Swag Shop, develop new products and marketing campaigns, and become part of a team representing SLPS locally and nationally.
Your next big opportunity could start here.
Ready to Get Started?
Join DECA. Explore Entrepreneurship. Build your skills. Find your next big thing.
Students interested in DECA and the SLPS Entrepreneurship Program are encouraged to connect with the program to learn more about membership, courses, competitions, leadership opportunities, and upcoming recruitment events. Talk to your counselor at your high school to apply starting in October or email Ryan.moore2@slps.org to learn more!