CAT Students Advance To National Skills USA Competition

Three students from the Center for Arts and Technology (CAT) Brandywine Campus - Timothy Rickards, Tony Conce and Nate Ewing - were recently named state champions at the Pennsylvania Skills USA Competition held in April in Hershey.

The first-place winners have now earned a spot at the National Skills USA competition to be held in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 24, through Friday, June 27.

According to the Skills USA Web site, www.skillsusa.org, the national competition will bring together more than 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students - all state contest winners - to compete hands-on in 93 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Students will work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations.

This is the second year in a row that Rickards, a senior from Coatesville in the commercial and graphic arts program at CAT Brandywine, has earned a spot at the National Skills USA competition in the Prepared Speech category.

His topic, “Skills USA Champions at Work,” was assigned by the Skills USA National Committee. According to Rickards, the committee assigns the same topic to students competing throughout the nation.

Based on the judge’s comments, Rickards’ speech was “well-rehearsed, kept the audience’s attention and guided the listener logically through the opening statement through to its conclusion.”

As for winning first place in the state competition for two years in a row, Rickards is glad to have his second win behind him.

“It’s kind of a relief that I didn’t let people down who expected as much of me this year as last year,” said Rickards.

Regarding his chances at nationals this year, Rickards is still trying to comprehend that he is going.

“It’s still not quite a reality to me this year. It’s such a big experience. I don’t feel excited yet. It’s something that’s hard to grasp,” he said.

In the 2007 event, Rickards placed seventh in the nation.

Accompanying Rickards to Kansas City will be his CAT Pickering classmates Tony Conce and Nate Ewing. Conce took first place in Motorcycle Repair, and Ewing finished first in Auto Collision Refinishing. Both students are from the Owen J. Roberts (OJR) School District.

While not advancing to the national competition, Justin Gillander received a third-place trophy in Electronic Applications at states, and William Martin placed third in the state in Industrial Motor Control. Gillander is a student from the OJR School District, and Martin is from the Oxford Area School District. In addition, Michael Christ placed seventh in Engine Technology.

Prior to advancing to state competition, CAT Brandywine students competed at the Skills USA Pennsylvania regional competition. Over 300 career and technical students from a four-county area competed at regionals.

CAT Brandywine students earned honors in 28 skill categories at regionals. First-place winners, their events and their home school districts included the following: Ann Ellis, Cosmetology, Coatesville; Joshua Hash, Welding, Downingtown; Cody Souders, Electronics Applications, Octorara; Georgina Sanchez, Basic Health Care, Kennett; William Martin, Industrial Motor Control, Oxford; Michael Hobson, Extemporaneous Speaking, Kennett; and Timothy Rickards, Prepared Speech, Coatesville.

Students placing second included Brittanie DeShields, Preschool Teaching, Coatesville; Anibal Lizasuain, Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning, Downingtown; Lindsey Roper, Advertising Design; Oxford; Andrew Sciarett, Collision Repair, Coatesville; John Stoltzfus, Power Equipment Technology, Twin Valley; Bethany Beiswenger, Computer Web Design, homeschooled; Ashley Donohue, Computer Web Design, West Chester; Vincent Gentile, Motorcycle Technology, Coatesville; Kyle Grove, Internetworking, Downingtown; Brian Slauch, Carpentry, Oxford; Jonesa Westmorland, Esthetic Model, Coatesville; Sophia Lopez, Esthetic Model, Kennett; Briana Doscher, Job Skills Demonstration, Avon Grove; Robert Dachiu, Auto Service Specialization, Twin Valley; and Nicholas Vico, Computer Maintenance, Downingtown.

Students bringing home third-place finishes at regionals included Brad Drake, Residential Wiring, Oxford; Thomas Mylan, Auto Service Technology, Kennett; Ryan Freese, Auto Collision Refinishing; Oxford; Chris Henderson, Cabinetmaking, Oxford; and Jessica Decker, Action Skills, Octorara.

The Center for Arts and Technology is a free public high school specializing in career and technical education. Applications for September 2008 are now being accepted.

The Brandywine Campus is located at 1535 E. Lincoln Highway, Coatesville, and serves students in the Avon Grove, Coatesville, Downingtown, Kennett, Octorara, Oxford, Twin Valley, Unionville and West Chester school districts. The Pickering Campus is located at 1580 Charlestown Road, Phoenixville, and serves students in the Great Valley, Owen J. Roberts, Phoenixville and Tredyffrin/Easttown school districts. For more information, interested readers may visit www.catschools.org.

CAPTION:

For the second year in a row, Timothy Rickards of Coatesville, a high school senior in the commercial and graphic arts program at the Center for Arts and Technology, Brandywine Campus, has earned a spot at the National Skills USA competition to be held in June in Kansas City, Mo. Accompanying Rickards to Kansas City will be his CAT Pickering classmates, (not shown) Tony Conce and Nate Ewing from the Owen J. Roberts School District.

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