SkillsUSA Winners Announced

Students from five area high schools participated in the annual SkillsUSA Kentucky competitions held March 1 at Ashland Community and Technical College. More than 80 contestants participated in the contests help at ACTCs Technology Drive and College Drive Campuses.

Contestants represented ACTC, Boyd County High School Career and Technical Center (Boyd CTC), Carter County High School Career and Technical Center (Carter CTC), Elliott County High School; Greenup County High School Area Technical Center (Greenup ACT), and Russell High School Area Technical Center (Russell ATC). Russell ATC includes students from Russell, Raceland-Worthington and Fairview High Schools.

Ive been bringing students here for 25 years, said Clarence Adkins, welding instructor at Elliott County High School. The competitions show them what others are doing, and that helps motivate them to try harder. In addition to welding students, he brought four students for the job interview competition, because they will need interview skills throughout their lives.

This is a great event, he said Lloyd Martin, a Russell ATC electrical instructor who was attending his first competition. As a former contractor, he knows that the number of skilled workers is going down, and these contests put emphasis on doing your best. He agrees with Adkins that students in technical fields need a couple of more years of education and training after high school in order to qualify for the best jobs.

For Harley Fannin, the entrepreneurship competition was worthwhile because she would eventually like to open her own businesses. The competition includes developing a business plan and making a presentation about a business you might want to have some day.

Skills USA Kentucky is a chapter of the national organization that serves industrial, trade and technical students in area technology centers, public high school and career and technical centers. Annual competitions focus on leadership and technical skills.

The regional competition also includes contests at Carter County CTC that were postponed due to the weather. Results of those contests in Internetworking, 3-D Visualization, Web Design, Mobile Robotics, and Telecommunications Cabling will be published at a later date.

Winners of the Technology Drive contests are listed below.

Postsecondary SkillsUSA Contests

Five ACTC students won awards in the SkillsUSA Postsecondary Contest and are eligible to compete in the State SkillsUSA contest in April. The students are listed below with their city of residence.

Architectural Drafting (CAD): First place- Timothy A. Tolberg from Catlettsburg, Second place- Heath W. Baker from Ashland.

Diesel Technology: First place- Zachary F. Salyers from Rush, Second place- George M. Baker III from Grayson, Third place- R. Eric Nolen from Grayson.

SkillsUSA Secondary Leadership Contests

Debate: First place- Team of Cody Lunsford and David Slark from Carter Co. CTC.

Entrepreneurship: First place- Team of Harley Fannin, Jaclyn Garvin, Rebecca Tomlin, and Carli Burton from Carter Co. CTC.

Job Interview: First place- Robert Countryman, Carter Co. CTC; Second- Gabriel Tutle, Elliott Co. High; Third-Dillon McKinster, Elliott Co. High.

Job Skills Demonstration (A): First place- Marcus Hatten, Russell ATC.

Action Skills: First place- Aaron Beavis, Russell ATC.

Pin Design: First place- Abby Gambill, Russell ATC; Second place- Amythest Jordan, Carter Co. CTC.

Opening And Closing Ceremonies: First place- Team of Erika Kitchen, Alex Tarazon, Cory Stapleton, Weston Whitt, Josh Vaughn, Jordan Shiplett and Aaron Burchett from Carter Co. CTC.

Related Technical Math: First place- Aaron Hoback, Russell ATC.

SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl: First place- Team of Dustin McGlone, Zachary Dallaire, Jordan Jackson and Chris Henderson from Carter Co. CTC; Second place- Team of Austin Greer, Johnathan Whitmoyer, Michael Mowery and Christopher Moore from Russell ATC; Third place- Team of Miranda Melvin, Kodie Patrick, Jerod Holsinger and Shane Day from Russell ATC.

SkillsUSA Secondary Skills Contests

Auto Service Technology: First place- Randall Hall, Greenup Co. ATC; Second place- Russell Dobson, Boyd Co. CTC; Third place- Jeremy McCoy, Greenup Co. ATC.

Architectural Drafting (CAD): First place- Zach Wells, Boyd Co. CTC; Second place- Amythest Jordan, Carter Co. CTC.

Architectural Drafting (Board): First place- Erika Kitchen, Carter Co. CTC; Second place-Naomi Binion, Carter Co. CTC; Third place- Ashley Dyer, Carter Co. CTC.

Technical Drafting (CAD): First place- Shane Day, Russell ATC; Second place- Kayla Bryant, Carter Co. CTC; Third place- Landon Gould, Boyd Co. CTC.

Technical Drafting (Board): First place- Jordan Enyart, Boyd Co. CTC; Second place-Triston Stewart, Boyd Co. CTC; Third place- Alex Tarazon, Carter Co. CTC.

Carpentry, all from Carter Co. CTC: First place- Thomas Allen, Second place- Carlie Burton, Carter Third Place-Tim Riffe.

Carpentry I: First place- Bethany Dean, Carter Co. CTC.

Electrical Construction Wiring: First place- Addison Napier, Russell ATC; Second place- James Wireman, Russell ATC; Third place- Melvin Vance, Greenup Co. ATC.

Welding: First place- Angel Huff, Russell ATC; Second place- Kyle Fields, Elliott Co. High; Third place- James Huff, Russell ATC.

Welding I: First place- Shannon Donahue, Russell ATC; Second place- Trey Roe, Carter Co. CTC; Third place- Cory Grubb, Russell ATC.

Welding Sculpture: First place- Blake Logan, Greenup Co. ATC.