DECA Faculty Advisor Dewayne Watkins and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe students pose with Ecolink representatives Brandon Pelissero and Rhace Smith. Kneeling front from left are Roy Chapmen, Jake Reid and Smith. Standing from left are Prem Patel, Jonathan Anderson, Pelissero, Nikki Parker, Deandra Rowe, Watkins, Hannah Rae and Thomas Broyles.(Contributed photo)It’s not unusual for teens to be glued to social media, but it isn’t often that their time spent tweeting and posting earns them an actual profit.
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School students recently harnessed the power of social media to earn themselves $725 by snagging a third-place spot in a statewide competition hosted by Ecolink, a Georgia-based company that supplies eco-friendly chemicals to businesses nationwide.
The competition, called Anaheim or Bust!, was aimed at students who are part of the Distributive Education Clubs of America, an international organization that prepares students for management, marketing and entrepreneurship positions.
DECA students from 14 schools were challenged to use social media to promote Ecolink and one of its products across an array of selected platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among others. Students were ranked based on their level of engagement with the online community. The more original content, like photos and videos, they posted, the more points they were awarded. And the more shares, likes and retweets their posts got, the higher their standings soared.
With only 75 DECA students in their small school – compared to the hundreds on other teams – the students at LFO knew they were at a disadvantage.