TURNERS FALLS — Ten Franklin County Tech students will advance to the state-level SkillsUSA competition after winning six gold and four silver medals at the district competition last week.
Fifteen medals — gold, silver, and bronze — were earned overall by FCTS students at the March 16 competition held at McCann Vocational School in North Adams. Fifty-three FCTS students attended the district competition.
Students who earned gold or silver will advance to the statewide competition in late April.
“We’re really pumped,” said FCTS Cosmetology Instructor and SkillsUSA adviser Electra Manley. “We have some very creative people who placed.”
SkillsUSA is a nationwide vocational framework that allows students to develop personal and technical skills to help them succeed in their careers. The program builds a foundation for learning as well as leadership and business skills.
Students compete in various categories according to the classes they take at FCTS. Categories include welding, cosmetology, sculpture, health technology, and more.
The district competition focuses strictly on a writing test, but the state competition will allow students to showcase their hands-on skills.
“It equips the students with necessary skills to succeed in life,” Manley said.
“It looks fantastic on a resume,” Lorin Burrows, a tech welding instructor and adviser, said. “People with this on their resume are up for challenges and can work under pressure.”
For the first time in FCTS history, the school incorporated a local SkillsUSA event in late January and early February to allow students to practice for the higher levels of competition.
Manley and Burrows came up with the idea after visiting other tech schools that host their own SkillsUSA competitions.
The written and hands-on competitions were held throughout three days. Some shops held strictly written tests, while others held both written and hands-on tests to simulate the upcoming district, state, and national SkillsUSA competitions.
“(The local competition) prepares them not only for their potential career but also for needed job skills,” said Burrows.
Between training, working on projects, taking tests, and listening to talks, the students have an extremely busy day.
Burrows describes it as “the Olympics of the trade.”
“They don’t have any downtime,” he said.
The district competition is the first step for students competing in their trade. To prepare, FCTS held study groups every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the District competition.
The state competition will be held at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School from April 26-28.
“I have very good expectations for States,” Burrows said.
For this level of the competition, every participant must have a resume and each student will participate in some sort of written exam. However, Burrows says that States is “geared more towards the hands-on competition.” Welders will weld, cosmetology students will demonstrate their beauty skills, and so on.
“They’re very, very well-rounded when they’re done,” Burrows said.
Those who earn gold in States will attend the national competition in Louisville, Ky., in June.
Last year, the competition attracted approximately 20,000 students from across the country.
If students win gold at the Nationals, they can advance to the world competition in Dubai the following fall.
“It’s a great opportunity, it’s free to the students, and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Burrows said of the program.
Andria Ames is a sophomore at FCTS in a male-dominated class: welding. At the district competition, she beat out her male peers to take home a gold medal in sculpture, which allows her advancement to the state level.
When Ames began her exploratory phase at FCTS, she fell in love with welding. She’s also artistic, so sculpture is the perfect way for her to combine her welding and art talents.
For the state competition, she will be presenting a 12-by-18-inch steel sculpture of a scene from the first chapter of a book she’s writing.
“It’s kind of a sad scene,” she said. “It’s an abandoned backyard with a swing, a tree, and house.”
Ames began working on it this week and has spent approximately three hours a day on it so far. The sculpture will be completed by the States competition in late April.
Welding: Kyle Bry, gold.
Sculpture: Andria Ames, gold; Jarod Taylor, silver; Aspen Keel, bronze.
Plumbing: Matt Lively, gold.
Auto collision: Gwyneth Clark, bronze.
Culinary: Jayden Chapman, silver; Quinntin Haskins, bronze.
Cosmetology: Hair under 500 hours: Alexander Lavalley, gold; Hannah Lyman, silver.
Esthetics: Haleigh Paul, gold; Bryanna Fisher, bronze.
Nails: Cheyla Lafountain, gold; Hannah Solar, silver.
Health Technology: Kristen Slowinski, bronze.