The SkillsUSA competition theme for the 2014-15 year is: SkillsUSA: 50 Years of Champions at Work.
The topic to be addressed by contestants in the Chapter Display, Prepared Speech and Promotional Bulletin Board competitions is how our theme, SkillsUSA: 50 Years of Champions at Work, addresses the SkillsUSA national program of work in the area of professional development.
Get all the details on the national website: http://www.skillsusa.org/about/theme.shtml
Pictured above is the 2013-2014 National Officer Team. At the far right is Leah Rife, from Pikes Peak Community College, who served as this year’s National College/Postsecondary President.
Congratulations to all the students and advisors from SkillsUSA Colorado who participated in the 2014 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Championships in Kansas City, MO. This year marked the 50th national conference and the start of SkillsUSA’s 50th year in existence!
Taking top honors this year were:
Above are the medalists for the 3D Visual Animation – Secondary Contest
(from l to r): Bronze – Eric Washington and James Ordner from Tuloso-Midway Rand Morgan HIgh School (TX);
Gold – John Touris and Yosua Hermawan, from Thomsas Jefferson HIgh School (CO);
and Silver – Walter Horjus and Logan Armstrong, Ken Career/Tech Center (MI).
In the back row from left to right are national technical committee members
Sandeep Kulkarni and MIke Edmonds.
Pictured above are the medalists for the Related Technical Math Contest.
In the front row (from l to r) are the High School medalists:
Silver – Yance Sun, East High School (UT);
Gold – Paige Stanley, Worcester Technical High School (MD) and
Bronze – Brian Yao, Westwood High School (TX).
In the back row (from l to r) are the College/Postsecondary medalists:
Silver – Brian Warzeha, Dakota County Technical College (MN);
Gold – Matthew Cannon, Utah Valley University (UT);
and Bronze – Joy Davidson, Pickens Technical College, (CO).
For individual competitor scores, click here. In an effort to provide additional security over detailed competitor scores, a date of birth for the contestant is now required as is the contestant’s number.
Photos and video highlights from the National Conference are available through the National SkillsUSA Facebook page or via the SkillsUSA Colorado Facebook page. Video highlights can be found here.
You can also view videos of the awards ceremony here at Mike Rowe’s website.
Devin Herman and Luis Rios, students at Bollman Tech in Thornton, have been named as recipients of a mikeroweWORKS Foundation scholarship to attend the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo., June 23-27. Mike Rowe, former host of the Discovery Channel’s popular series Dirty Jobs, created the foundation in 2008 to, in his words, “give something back and challenge the prevailing definition of a ‘good job.’ For decades, we have put a premium on a four-year degree, and told an entire generation that trade schools and skilled labor are alternatives to higher education. Hyperbole aside, the skills gap is real. Our infrastructure is crumbling. And our country is scrambling to put itself back together.”
The scholarship provides support for SkillsUSA state contest winners who have insufficient personal resources to participate in the 2014 National SkillsUSA Championships. Fifty $1,000 scholarships were awarded to help offset the costs of travel and to participate in the National SkillsUSA Championships. The winners will also have the opportunity to attend a luncheon with a member of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation staff during the conference.
This is the fourth year the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, in partnership with SkillsUSA, has offered the scholarship opportunity. The scholarship is awarded based on a student-written narrative describing the need for the scholarship and lack of school or community resources. The goal of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation is to make contributions to other 501(c)(3) organizations that give to and support the trades. For more information, click here.
Congratulations Devin and Luis!
Congratulations to our own Emily Little, SkillsUSA Colorado’s 2013-2014 State President! Her photo, entitled “Colorado Living,” took second place in the 2nd Congressional District Art Show! For the next year, the photo which bears the Colorado flag symbol in the foreground, will hang on a wall in U.S. Rep. Jared Polis’ office!
Congratulations to Marianna Crespin, the 2014 winner of the SkillsUSA National Pin Design Competition. She is a student at WarrenTech in Arvada, Colo. Her advisor is Scot Odendahl.
Marianna will be recognized, along with her advisor at the Opening Ceremony of the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, MO. Each of their high schools will receive $5,000 from Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation for classroom and equipment improvements.
