March 29, 2024

Tri-County Duo Lauded for SkillsUSA Success

Posted

The Massachusetts Association of School Committees honored two Tri-County Regional students on Wednesday, December 16, with an award ceremony in recognition of their first-place finish at the 2015 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.

Tyler Thomas,
a senior from North Attleborough, and Josh Fuller, a 2015 graduate from Plainville, received gold medals in the Additive Manufacturing competition at the annual conference, held from June 22 through June 26 in Louisville, Kentucky. In recognition of their outstanding efforts, MASC Board President Patrick Francomano presented Thomas and Fuller with plaques during Tri-County’s School Committee meeting.

"This is an incredible achievement that Joshua and Tyler have attained," said Superintendent-Director Stephen Dockray. "Their Engineering Technology teachers have fostered their creative skillset and SkillsUSA has provided them the platform to exhibit them."

This was the first year SkillsUSA offered an Additive Manufacturing competition, better known to most as 3-D printing. Thomas and Fuller designed a model El Camino on a 3-D printer to win the SkillsUSA Massachusetts Championships and advance to nationals.

"We wanted to go above and beyond for the national level, so we took the same basic form of a truck but we made it much bigger and gave it bigger wheels," Fuller explained. "I found a way to make springs, so I added shocks to the bottom of the truck and no one else at nationals had anything close to that."

Fuller works full-time at an Architectural Woodworking company. He proudly displays the award-winning model on his office desk. Thomas is currently applying to college and plans to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering.

SkillsUSA is a national professional organization for career and technical students that provides leadership, citizenship and character development programs. Competitions run at the local and state level give students the opportunity to demonstrate both occupational and leadership skills. All Tri-County students are members of SkillsUSA.

Tri-County, seekonk, Franklin, education, SkillsUSA, competition, Additive Manufacturing, 3D printing, Engineering

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here


Share!
Truly local news delivered to every home in town