Turley Publications submitted photos

(L to r) Jessica Shannon, Chloe Ferrarone and Jaime Spidle gather together at the Skills USA State Conference after winning a first place gold medal for the promotional bulletin board event.

Skills USA students advance to Nationals

Come home from States with awards, scholarships

By Jennifer Grybowski
Turley Publications Reporter

STURBRIDGE – The Skills USA Tantasqua Chapter cleaned up at the Skills USA State Conference, held April 29 through May 1, walking away with multiple awards, over $19,000 in scholarships and a trip to the National Conference.

Joshua Brunelle, Devin Makowski, Tylor Latour, Nathan Wright, Evan Lane, Christian Gemme, Thomas Hayes, Justin Streicher, Chloe Ferrarone, Jamie Spidle, Jessica Shannon and Brittany Francis represented Tantasqua at the conference.

“These students’ hard work and their dedication is to be commended,” Drafting Instructor and SkillsUSA Advisor Raymond Vallee said.

On Thursday night, Skills USA Tantasqua Chapter was presented with the Costello Family Community Service Award, Bronze Standard, for outstanding community service to their community through Skills USA.

“I am happy to share this award with over 25 Skills USA members who are committed to service,” Vallee said.

To participate in the event, the students had to submit a book highlighting their community service activities, which included a car wash to benefit the Doug Flutie Foundation; a fall food drive to benefit the Skills USA Fall Leadership Conference and Tantasqua’s National Honor Society and a trail clean-up project in Sturbridge.

“We had no idea we won until we got there,” Ferrarone said.

“It was great because it was the first time we ever submitted for it and we didn’t expect it,” Spidle said.

During the competition, Ferrarone, Spidle and Shannon won a first place gold medal for the promotional bulletin board event. The theme was “Connecting the Opportunities,” and the students were challenged to show that theme through pictures and words. The board features two roads coming together into one, symbolizing traditional and non-traditional students.

“We included speed bumps,” Spidle said.
They also used traffic as a way to represent the students; included merge and yield signs; put theme words on the bridge; and put a rendering of the world in the clouds.

“We saw some of the submissions online ahead of time, so we were nervous,” Spidle said. “But when we got there, we knew we were up top.”

But they were still amazed when they won and were invited onstage to participate in the awards ceremony.

“They almost knocked me over,” Vallee said.

The bulletin board will continue to be used during open houses and parents’ night.

Two of the three students, Ferrarone and Spidle, will be competing at the

Skills USA National Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Mo. the week of June 22. They will be the first students to ever go to nationals from Tantasqua.

“Now we have the opportunity to take what we’ve got and take it up a notch,” Vallee said.

Ferrarone and Spidle, both seniors, are delighted to be going, even if they will be traveling after they graduate.

“It’s exciting because we are the first to be going there and cool because we are both non-traditional students,” Spidle said.

Ferrarone studies computer technology and Spidle studies machine technology.

“[Skills USA] has been such a great aspect of my high school career,” Ferrarone said. “I love being involved in it.”

The winning just kept on throughout the weekend.

Streicher won a third place bronze medal for the CNC turning event and Thomas Hayes won a third place bronze medal for precision machining.

Also, the chapter received a total of $19,000 in scholarships for their successes.

“It was pretty cool to win scholarships and tools,” Streicher said. “I expected to do pretty well once I got there but I was looking forward to finding out how I did.”

Skills USA Tantasqua was also recognized as a 100 percent chapter at a presentation on Friday night. That means every sophomore through senior in the technical division are registered as a Skills USA member

“The benefit is, it allowed us to send more students to the district level competitions,” Vallee said. “Everyone can have leadership qualities.”

Although the students are registered members, it is still their choice whether or not they choose to participate in Skills USA activities.

“It gives the students more opportunities to get involved,” Ferrarone said.

Vallee explained that some schools create a class centered around Skills USA.

“We do it in our spare time,” Vallee said.

“Each year we do better and better,” Ferrarone said.

Vallee said that registering all the students, and opening up that opportunity to all of them was a little overwhelming.

“More students saw the value of Skills USA and how it can help them,” he said.

Vallee said he was proud of the team’s success this year.

“It was quite an event,” Vallee said. “Schools know Skills USA. It carries a lot of weight when students show they have the qualities that exceed the standards.”

The remaining students are excited to compete next year.
“We’re going to win next year,” Latour said.

According to its website, Skills USA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. Their mission is to help its members become world-class workers and responsible American citizens. Skills USA is an applied method of learning where students practice skills and build self-confidence while helping their schools and communities. For more information, visit www.maskillsusa.org.