Thirty students from Santiam Christian High School will attend the three-day Oregon DECA state career development conference that begins Sunday at the Red Lion Hotel on the River-Jantzen Beach in Portland.

DECA is an international association that encourages students in marketing-related classes to pursue careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. DECA also strives to promote understanding and appreciation of the free-enterprise system as well as the responsibilities of citizenship.

At the conference, students have the opportunity to compete in a variety of marketing situations. Judges are business professionals.

Approximately 200 judges will evaluate an estimated 800 competitors.

Oregon winners advance to the DECA International Career Development Conference to be held in April in Orlando, Fla.

Also at the state conference, delegates will elect state officers for the

2007-08 school year.

For more information about Santiam Christian High School DECA, contact Jay Barton at 745-5655.

The SC students attending the state conference are Ian Bellamy, Brittanie Bellamy, Jacob Blakely, Beth Brandaw, Curtis Burwell, Benjamin Griner, Andrew Garver;

Charles Gidley, Nathaniel Gillman, Robert Graham, William Harvey, Jordan Heater, Chris Hebert, Justus Hoffmann, Jenn Hylton, Alec Johnson;

Hannah Kessi, Joel Mason, Noelle McCarthy, Andrew Bowder, Keith Peterson, Andrew Conniff, Tammy Pratt;

Julia Quiring, Nick Rukke, Courtney Towery, Megan Walker, Hannah Warner, Miranda Warren and Greg Merritt.