From The San Diego Union Tribune:
A team of Montecito High School construction students in the Adult Education program placed third in the national SkillsUSA competition held June 15-17.
Several Ramona High School students also competed in the competition.
The Teamworks team members were Chris Coleman, Luis Lozano, Manuel Moreno and Blake Yule. A fifth Adult Education student, Adrian Garcia, placed in the top nine of the contest’s Individual Carpentry category. They had all been trained in teacher Nicholas Jordan’s construction class, and three of them are currently working in the construction industry.
Skills USA is a national career and technical student organization that promotes training programs in the trades, technical and skilled service occupations. The organization holds yearly regional, state and national competitions to showcase the top-performing career and technical education students in the United States.
Construction students put their skills to the test in electrical, plumbing, masonry, blueprint reading, materials takeoff and staircase building.
Jordan estimates the students were competing against at least 25 other individuals or teams in each category. The Teamworks team placed in third only behind first-place winner New Jersey and second-place winner Texas. Six other Montecito High students and one other Adult Education student who participated will find out their results in a few weeks, although they did not place in the top nine of contestants.
The teacher said his students excelled even in the midst of the school’s graduation ceremony held June 16.
“It was an emotional day for them but they did really well,” Jordan said. “They did an amazing job and I’m so proud of the kids.”
Because of COVID-19 precautions, this year’s contest format combined virtual and in-person competitions. The first day of the event students participated in interviews and a knowledge test; the second day they received their architectural plans, performed a materials take-off, and presented a PowerPoint lecture that included the methods they would use and a timeline for building; and the third day they spent building three walls that included a window, plumbing, electrical, masonry brick and a shed roof over the window.
Judges watched the students on live video during the eight-hour building portion of the contest, Jordan said.
Before the event, students practiced their skills in the evening and held mock interviews with Montecito High Librarian Lyn Hardy and construction assistant Caylor Nuth.
“Usually we let our work do the talking for us but this year we had to talk about what we were doing,” Jordan said. “What got the students over the edge was being confident in their building and how they were going to build it. It takes a village. That’s what put us on top was the whole staff being supportive of the program.”
He credited the staff members who helped the students prepare their resumes and cover letters in addition to interviews and PowerPoint presentations.
In addition to winning national medals, the top contestants will be awarded prize money and will likely be recruited for construction jobs, Jordan said.
At Ramona High, three students competed in the national SkillsUSA competition — 2021 graduate Charlie Dilts, incoming junior Payge LaFever and incoming sophomore Zachary Stene. Of those, Stene placed sixth in the Motorcycle Service Technology category, LaFever placed 10th in the Power Equipment Technology category, and Dilts placed 17th in the Automotive Service Technology category.
During the hybrid virtual and in-person format, Stene performed a video demonstration of brake bleeding and front suspension rebuilding on a motorcycle. Dilts performed automotive repair tasks using six online Zoom stations and LaFever attempted to restore a broken weed eater.
Robert Grace, Ramona High’s automotive teacher, said he was proud of the three students for competing in the national contest out of a total 104 students in the school’s SkillsUSA Club.
“It was a difficult year where things were done virtually, but that’s how even job interviews are done these days,” Grace said. “That’s the way of the world right now. The students did their best and we’re proud of them.
“We had three kids make it to the nationals, which I’m super proud of as a teacher and adviser,” he added.