Summer Business & Entrepreneurship is designed for ambitious high school students seeking to gain knowledge in business systems.
Summer Business & Entrepreneurship
Summer business and entrepreneurship curriculum focuses on developing real-world business acumen in the fields of marketing, accounting and finance, entrepreneurship, and strategy and management.
By The Numbers
Courses & Dates
DECA Boostcamp
Rising students to grades 9-10
July 20-24 | July 27-31 | Aug. 3-7 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
DECA BoostCamp is a five-day intensive designed for ambitious students who want a strong head start in DECA and competitive business events. Throughout the week, students will work through a structured itinerary that mirrors a real DECA experience: mastering the basics of competitive events and exams, building an entrepreneurship project, and polishing their role-play and presentation skills for mock competition day.
Using DECA’s official curriculum and competitive event formats, students will explore business concepts across the four DECA career clusters: business management and administration, finance, hospitality and tourism, and marketing. They will take practice exams, analyze case studies, develop an Entrepreneurship Series Business (ESB) project, and participate in multiple timed role-plays with feedback – all while learning to think on their feet, present persuasively, and respond confidently during Q&A.
The course is taught by Harker business and entrepreneurship faculty who coach Harker’s DECA chapter and have extensive experience preparing students for high-level competition.
DECA BoostCamp students receive a 50% discount for the Silicon Valley DECA Summer Conference on Aug. 1-2.
Skills Developed
Students will gain practical experience in:
- Understanding DECA competitive events, exams and performance indicators
- Business planning, including market research, SWOT analysis and basic strategy
- Structuring and delivering DECA-style role-plays and case responses
- Public speaking, visual aids and professional presentation skills
- Handling judge-style Q&A with confidence, clarity and poise
- Time management and critical thinking under timed conditions
Course Outcomes
By the end of the week, students will:
- Complete a full ESB-style startup concept and pitch it in a final presentation
- Take both a practice exam and a cumulative exam aligned with DECA’s exam blueprints
- Perform multiple individual and team role-plays, with written and verbal feedback
- Build a personal “DECA playbook” of exam strategies, role-play frameworks, and practice prompts
- Gain the confidence and foundational skills needed to begin their first DECA season ready to compete.
Build Your Branding Portfolio
Rising students to grades 9-10
Aug. 3-7 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
In this one-week course, students will build a real marketing portfolio by refreshing the branding and creating marketing materials for an existing brand. By the end of the week, students will be able to show off their creativity and marketing acumen to potential clients, businesses or internships.
In class, students will explore how businesses and brands use social media to tell their stories, build a following and drive sales. Through real-world case studies and guided tutorials, students will learn the core principles of branding and digital marketing strategies.
The course is taught by Patrick Kelly, a Harker business and economics teacher, whose YouTube channels have amassed over 400,000 subscribers and tens of millions of views.
Skills Developed
Students will gain practical experience in:
- Brand storytelling and identity building
- Copywriting for social media and digital platforms
- Creating video content
- Basic design techniques
- Using AI tools to enhance content creation and marketing strategy
Course Outcomes
Students will design and present a complete social media rebrand for a real company, organization, nonprofit or team. Their project can be added to their professional portfolio – an essential step for those interested in marketing or entrepreneurship.
Silicon Valley DECA Summer Conference (SVSC)
Rising students to grades 9-12
Fri., Aug. 1 (3 p.m.) – Sat., Aug. 2 (6 p.m.)
Fee: $295
Silicon Valley DECA Summer Conference (SVSC) brings together the best and brightest members from across the Silicon Valley District for two unforgettable days of competition, hands-on workshops, inspiring speakers, and next-level networking.
From August 1-2, you’ll connect with new friends, sharpen your leadership and entrepreneurship skills, and test your competitive edge – all before the school year begins. Whether you’re a returning DECA leader or just getting started, SVSC will give you the confidence, strategies and momentum to dominate the upcoming season.
- Compete in prepared events and role plays — with direct feedback from judges to help you level up before the season starts.
- Participate in workshops, leadership training, and professional development while connecting with DECA members, alumni, and mentors across the Silicon Valley District.
- Build confidence, sharpen competitive skills, and gain strategies to excel in the upcoming DECA year.
Space is limited to 200 participants. (BoostCamp attendees receive 50% off registration) Don’t miss your chance to be part of Silicon Valley DECA’s signature summer experience!
Summer Lunch
Lunch is included in tuition. Regular and vegetarian entrees are offered each day and menus are designed to provide healthy, nutritious options.
Summer DECA BOOSTCamp Staff
Juston Glass
As the founding director of The Harker School's business, economics & Entrepreneurship department, Juston Glass develops curriculum for and teaches comprehensive and engaging, learn-by-doing BE&E courses. He is a member of the National DECA Competitive Events Taskforce, where a select group of advisors determine the course and success of the future of DECA competitions. He also has served on the California DECA board of directors for the past 10+ years, was recognized as the California DECA Advisor of the Year, and was chosen by The White House/U.S. Department of Education for the "CTE Innovator Award" for career and technical education during that time.
As a former CPA, he holds a B.S. in business administration and an M.S. in tax accounting from Cal Poly. He served as a senior consultant at Ernst & Young LLP and has worked at multiple Fortune 500 financial institutions in managerial roles.
Over the last decade plus, Glass has served as the mentor, facilitator and advisor for thousands of DECA students and has coordinated and run numerous high school extracurriculars and summer camps, locally and internationally. He and his colleagues are proud to train and develop an international DECA champion every year and hope to continue that momentum through the experiences gained during the Summer DECA Boostcamp.
Michael Acheatel, MBA
Michael Acheatel has taught business and entrepreneurship at The Harker School for eight years where and serves as the school’s DECA chapter advisor. He founded Harker's Incubator program, an intensive year-long course that provides student entrepreneurs with seed funding, mentorship and curriculum for launching their own businesses.
His background is in startup business consulting; he has helped more than 150 startups launch and/or raise capital during his tenure as president of The Startup Garage. He holds a master's degree in business administration and a B.A. in global economics.
Acheatel believes that business can be a vehicle for accomplishing great things, be that personal, social or environmental. This belief has driven his educational and vocational endeavors, initially focusing on the nonprofit sector before turning to startups and now education.
Patrick Kelly
Patrick Kelly has been with Harker’s business and entrepreneurship department since 2021. He currently teaches Economics and Principles of Business, and serves as the faculty advisor for TEDxHarkerSchool. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Kelly has amassed over 430,000 followers across social media, especially on YouTube where he makes long-form videos about the history of science. He is excited to bring his social media expertise to his students this summer!