Updated: North County Skills USA students compete at nationals
Front row; Randy Nelson, Dennis Peters, Mason Steiner, Natalie Martin, Cassidy Moses, Celia Moses. Second row; Matt Munro, Taylor Lamascus, William Carney, Phillip Riccomini, Matt Dodds, Greg Boswell, Aca McDonald, Joseph Tognetti, Randy Canaday, Bartt Frey. Photo courtesy of Randy Canady.
– Students from technical education programs in Paso Robles-area high schools and colleges won the nation’s highest awards at the Skills USA National Leadership and Skills Conference recently held in Kentucky. Industry leaders representing more than 600 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions recognized the students for demonstrating excellence in 100 hands-on occupational and leadership competitions such as robotics, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking.
Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade or scholarships to further their careers and education.
The awards ceremony was held in Freedom Hall of the Kentucky Event Center. Over 15,000 people filled the hall. 6500 of those were students competing in over 100 competitions. California had 33 medalists.
Mason Steiner placed 3rd for the bronze medal in plumbing. Mason was a 10th grader this past year at PRHS. Skills USA advisor Randy Canaday asked him at the beginning of the year if he was interested in competing in Skills USA. He was willing and began training for the plumbing contest with Dennis Peters, a retired plumbing contractor, who has been advising PRHS students in plumbing for the past 10 years.
Cassidy Moses was 4th place just missing the bronze medal in early childhood education. She is an 11th grade student who will return next year to Skills USA. Taylor Lamascus was 6th in power equipment, Aca McDonald was 7th in marine service, William Carney and Matt Munro were 9th in audio/radio, Matt Dodds was 12th in electrical construction and Natalie Martin was 14th in culinary arts.
Former PRHS graduate, Grace Stokes earned a gold medal in prepared speech while representing Cuesta College.
In addition, Skill Point Certificates were awarded in 86 occupational and leadership areas to students who achieved a high score defined by industry. The Skills USA Championships have been a premier event since 1967. The Skill Point Certificates were introduced in 2009 as a component of the Skills USA Work Force Ready System.
The following students are Skill Point Certificate recipients from the North County:
- Natalie Martin, from Paso Robles, and a student at Paso Robles High School, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Culinary Arts.
- Noah Yoshida, from Paso Robles, and a student at Cuesta Community College, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Culinary Arts.
- Cassidy Moses, from Paso Robles, and a student at Paso Robles High School, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Early Childhood Education.
- Taylor Lamascus, from Paso Robles, and a student at Paso Robles High School, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Power Equipment Technology.
- Matthew Dodds, from Paso Robles, and a student at Paso Robles High School, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Electrical Construction Wiring.
- James McRoberts IV, from Paso Robles, and a student at Morro Bay High School, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Information Technology Services.
- Team L (consisting of Matthew Munro, William Carney), from Paso Robles High School, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Audio-Radio Production.
- Austin Feavel, from Paso Robles, and a student at Cuesta Community College, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Automotive Refinishing Technology.
“More than 6,000 students from every state in the nation came to compete in the Skills USA Championships this week,” said Skills USA Executive Director Tim Lawrence. “This is the Skills USA partnership at its best. Students, instructors and industry representatives are working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce and every student excels. These students prove that career and technical education expands opportunities.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, students who take three or more career and technical education programs in high school are more likely to attend college and stay there to graduate.
Industry support of the Skills USA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. All competitions are run and judged by industry experts using industry standards for employment. These contests assess hands-on, employability and academic skills. More than 1,700 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year.
The Skills USA “Work Force Ready System” was developed as an extension of the Skills USA mission and supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The system recognizes students for excellence in occupational training. It also assesses and documents the entry-level technical proficiency and cumulative experiences of candidates. For more information about the system, visit www.workforcereadysystem.com.
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