Twenty-five Santa Rosa County School District students enrolled in Career and Technical Education Programs at Locklin Technical Center competed in the State SkillsUSA competition on April 27th and 28th. These students are enrolled in technical programs such as Automotive Service Technology, Electricity, Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Technology, Computer Systems & Information Technology, Culinary Arts, Pharmacy Technician, and Practical Nursing. During the two day event, competitions including comprehension-based exams, as well as hands-on skill assessments were held in Lakeland, Florida. Both high school and adult students throughout the state tested knowledge and skills learned from their respective program areas in an effort to qualify for the National SkillsUSA Competition to be held in Louisville, Kentucky June 22nd – 26th.
Twenty-one Locklin Tech students exhibited outstanding performance with a school record, fourteen 1st place awards, four 2nd place awards, and three 3rd place awards in the following program areas:
Locklin Tech 2015 State SkillsUSA Recipients:
Automotive Service Technology (Joe Peirce & Michael Castleberry, Instructors):
Automotive Service Technology/High School – Dalton Stephens (Santa Rosa High) – 2nd Place
Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Technology (Joe Hamel, Instructor):
HVACR/High School – Blake Moore (Jay High) – 3rd Place
Electricity (Mike Adams, Instructor):
Electrical Construction Wiring/Adult – Austin Martin – 2nd Place and Michael Lumley 3rd Place
Team Works/High School – Kolton Caraway, Alan Mitchem, Jorden Morris, and Tyler Palmer (all attend Jay High) – 1st Place
Team Works/Adult – Tommy Barker, William Brown, Alex Brummett, and Andrew Floyd – 1st Place
Practical Nursing (Tiffany York & Teresa Peirce, Instructors):
Health Knowledge Bowl Adult Team – Brian Deily, Felicity Hall, Heather Robey, and Rachel Thurman – 1st Place
Health Occupations Professional Portfolio/Adult – Sarah Thomas – 1st Place
Medical Math/Adult – Mathew Liveoak – 1st Place and Amber Williams – 2nd Place
Nurse Assisting/Adult – Franicine Gipson – 2nd Place
Practical Nursing/Adult – Tamara Mathews – 3rd Place
Locklin Tech is very proud of the twenty-one students for placing 3rd or better at the state level in their program area. We are especially proud of the fourteen students (4 High School and 10 Adult) who placed 1st in their program area and will have an opportunity to compete in the National SkillsUSA Competition representing not only the State of Florida, but the Santa Rosa County School District. These fourteen 1st place delegates have also made another mark in the history of Locklin Tech; exceeding the record number of nine (2014) state gold medalist in the SkillsUSA competitions.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry leaders working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. In addition, the organization provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. SkillsUSA advisors and CTE instructors are trained to deliver high quality technical employability and academic skills to all students. Last year marked the 50th-year anniversary of the National SkillsUSA Competitions.
Locklin Tech is proud to be a part of the Santa Rosa County School District and to serve both secondary high school students and post-secondary adult students in Santa Rosa County and neighboring communities. By providing Career and Technical Education Programs that meet the needs of business and industry, we are helping to ensure a highly skilled and sustainable workforce for our local area and the State of Florida.
Locklin Tech would also like to thank all those business and industry partners in education for sponsoring students in the SkillsUSA State Competition. If you are interested in making a contribution to help off-set the fees associated with students competing in the SkillsUSA National Competition, please contact Locklin Tech at 983-5700.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Locklin Tech Students Heading to National SkillsUSA Competition