Discover how Camdenton High School turned a single Spirit Box vending machine into a top-ranked, student-led business program! With the help of a CTE-aligned curriculum and hands-on, project-based learning, their DECA team achieved incredible milestones, including earning DECA’s prestigious SBE Gold Certification.

Hear directly from Business & Marketing Teacher Karen Fehrmann and her students about their journey from a small school store to managing three high-performing vending machines. From funding DECA trips to creating leadership opportunities, their story showcases the power of Spirit Box in transforming education.

Rio Rancho Introduction

Rio Rancho High School in New Mexico averages $50,987 in sales each year with their school store vending program. They’re highest sales in 2022-23 was $111,572. They’ve been the leader in sales since 2019 grossing $280,428 total from 2019 to January 2025. We felt it was time they shared their fundraising secrets!

Located in New Mexico with around 2,200 students, Rio Rancho’s Spirit Box vending activities are managed by the DECA Marketing Class and they’re killin’ it!

Bringing a Spirit Box to your school can be a hefty undertaking, and it should be done with careful thought and care. You can review this blog post for 5 steps to take on presenting and advocating for Spirit Box in your school if you’re starting from scratch.

When Elisa Shoemaker, DECA Advisor and Business & Marketing Educator for Clinton High School, shopped for a solution to replace the brick-and-mortar school store, the options were good–but not great. She considered purchasing a vending machine from a big box store, until the day she stumbled upon Spirit Box in the DECA Direct: “It was an answer to our prayers.”

Every school is different on what they are allowed to sell but many schools have restrictions on what food they can and can’t sell. Be mindful of these restrictions and get creative on how you sell your products. Not sure what is considered a “healthy approved snack?” …

Let’s talk about how products will work for your Spirit Box Enterprise...

Now is the time to begin finalizing the product mix for your Spirit Box Enterprise, so let’s lay out how this is going to work.

Many of our schools are DECA teams and are working towards SBE Certification. We invited Debbie Taylor, DECA's SBE Certification manager, to come and share an overview of certification, how to get your Spirit Box certified, and answer Spirit Box team's questions.