THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502170193
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close-Up
SOURCE: Rebecca Myers
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
Wilson High School senior Kevin Parker is one of eight students from Portsmouth who will soon compete in a statewide competition for which he cannot prepare.
No cramming, no all-nighters, no last-minute trips to the library.
``There's no way you can prepare,'' said Parker, 17, referring to next month's Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Student Leadership Conference.
That's because the conference is a role-playing competition, held annually for students in DECA, a work-study program for juniors and seniors.
``You just have to get there, read your information . . . and wing it,'' said Parker, one of five students from Wilson to place high enough at the district level to go to the state competition. The other four students are Melinda Ayers, Benjamin Gilbert, Nathan Downing and Shirley Kitchen.
I.C. Norcom High School will send three winners: Velvet Godwin, Veronica Willis and Kimberli Brown.
``The only practice you can get is through the competitions you've had in the past,'' he said, ``because nobody knows what the role-play is going to be.''
Because Parker is an advanced marketing student, he will compete - along with classmate Shirley Kitchen - on the supervisory level.
``Instead of teaching you how to be a good employee, the advanced marketing curriculum teaches you how to be a good manager,'' said Parker, who has worked part time at Chesapeake Square Mall's J.C. Penney store since 1993.
At the district competition, Parker was asked to play the part of a newly hired manager who inherited a store that was losing money because it had been overstocked with merchandise.
Parker's solutions?
``I came up with the idea of layaway tables, sending merchandise back to the company, not ordering merchandise for a couple of weeks or making it into an outlet store,'' he said.
First- through third-place winners at the state competition, to be held March 3-5 in Williamsburg, will go on to the national competition in April in St. Louis.
This will be Parker's second visit to the state competition.
``I went last year, but I went as a delegate to vote for the following year's state officers because I was president of our district last year,'' he said. ``People wore tuxedos. It was almost like the Emmys at the awards ceremony. It was really neat.''
After graduation, Parker will start a 15-month program at ECPI Computer Institute.
``I'm the kind of guy who doesn't want to go away to college,'' Parker said. ``I didn't want to be stuck in college for four years, then get out and face so much uncertainty about what I'm going to do.
``This way it's 15 months, you get in, you get your associate's degree, you get good hands-on training and you get out,'' he said.
Parker intends to keep his job in the catalog department at J.C. Penney throughout his studies at ECPI.
``Right now, I'm happy there,'' he said. ``It's a good, stable job. I don't have to worry about layoffs, I'm making more than minimum wage, and I think that's pretty good still being in high school. It's probably one of the best jobs I could find.''
Name: Kevin Parker
Neighborhood: Pineview
Birthdate: Oct. 4, 1977
School and Grade: Woodrow Wilson; senior
Parents: Cliff and Kathy Parker
Pet: Gizmo (dog)
Favorite subject: Government
Favorite food: Anything Mexican
Favorite restaurant: El Toro's on Independence Boulevard
Hobbies: Flirting with the girls, watching TV, shopping, spending time with family, taking part in church activities
Favorite movies: ``Tombstone,'' ``Star Wars'' and any Disney cartoon
Favorite song or musical group: Alabama's ``Dixie Land Delight''
Favorite sport: Football
Favorite magazine: GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly)
Last book read for fun: ``The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' by Jon Scieska and Lane Smith
Favorite TV shows: ``All My Children'' and ``Starsky and Hutch''
Last smart thing you did: Deciding to go to ECPI Computer Institute
Last dumb thing you did: Hit a mailbox with my brand new car
Pet peeve: Smoking
Hero: My father because he is a very hard worker
Your worst habit: Procrastination
Last vacation: Disney World
Favorite way to spend a day: In the bed asleep
If you had 15 minutes on national television, what would you discuss: I would discuss the need for all people to treat each other equal.
When I get older, I want to be: A computer technician ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
by CNB