Fourteen students recently traveled to New York City to participate in the National DECA NY Financial Experience.

The trip began with a behind-the-scene tour of the Madame Alexander Doll factory where they met with the president of the company and various employees learning about the product designs for 2008, marketing sales and finance, hat making and doll assembly.

The Madame Alexander Doll Company also led the workshop aboard the Circle Line cruise boat on team-building, marketing strategies and product development.

Students created a business plan for marketing a new doll.

Other programs including touring the Madison Square Garden venue to learn about marketing strategies in a major Sports/Entertainment venue, meeting representatives from the fields of fashion and finance shared their expertise on career possibilities, and touring Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

The NBC Studios tour provided a behind-the-scenes look at several of the highly rated NBC shows and 75-year history of the network. They were able to see up-close three working studios, a museum and a demonstration of a news segment. Also toured was the Radio City Stage Door tour which provided an inside look at the day in the life of a Rockette, the history of one of New York’s traditions and a question-and-answer session with a Rockette.

During their spare time the students saw the Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular and Spamalot on Broadway, the Empire State building and Times Square. They got an up-close view of the tallest statue of modern time-The Statue of Liberty, Central Park and visited Ground Zero.

One of the highlights of the trip was being invited on the Good Morning America set as an audience.

During that time the students were able to meet Diane Sawyer and Chris Como.

Because of the amount of community service these students donate, they were asked to help the next day to participate in GMA’s “Warm hands, warm hearts” coat drive.

They arrived at the studio at 6:15 a.m. to unload 2,500 coats to be donated to the New York City youth.

Their hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed by the staff and crew of the GMA set.

Sandra Lee of the Semi-homemade by Sandra Lee show asked they stay and be her private audience for her promo for her New Year’s Eve special which was aired Dec. 28 during the GMA show.