Tri-County Students Bring Home 88 Medals from SkillsUSA District II Conference

Students from Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School and from the school’s Postsecondary programs received 88 medals at the SkillsUSA District II Conference held on Thursday, February 25, at Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River.

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 had 174 students participate in the district conference. They competed against students from Attleboro High School/CTE, BMC Durfee, Bristol Community College, Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School/CTE, Diman RVTHS, and Southeastern RVTHS. Tri-County’s high school students took home 70 medals, including 24 gold, 27 silver, and 19 bronze. Students in Tri-County’s Postsecondary Cosmetology and Practical Nursing programs received 18 medals, including 10 gold, three silver, and five bronze.

“I am so proud of the efforts made by our students to prepare for the District Competition. They practiced taking content exams, employability tests and brushed up on OSHA standards in order to achieve success. Their hard work certainly paid off since this year the number of medals that were awarded to our students surpassed all other years,” said Jean George, Vocational Coordinator at Tri-County. “Of course, I am also appreciative of each teacher's commitment to the students at Tri-County. They spent many days after school coaching students in preparation for this competition.”

SkillsUSA Massachusetts hosts four district conferences to determine who will move on to the state championships. Students who compete in the district competition must complete a written SkillsUSA employment skills test, a trade knowledge test, and a safety test as a tie breaker. Gold and silver medalists advance to the State SkillsUSA Conference, which will be held from April 30 through May 2 in Marlborough.

Additional Tri-County students will compete at the state conference in leadership events such as Career Pathways Showcases, Entrepreneurship, and Principles of Technology.

“Because we are a school with 100-percent student participation, all students have the opportunity to become involved in an aspect of the program - either by competing in a vocational specific contest or the many leadership events offered,” George explained.

District gold medalists from the high school are Ethan Hardy (Team Works), and John Shultz (Computer Programming), from Attleboro, Kate Doyle (Health Knowledge Bowl), Christopher Lenzi (Advertising Design), Brian Molloy (Team Works), Michael Sarazin (Architectural Drafting), Emily Spillane (First Aid/CPR), and Nathan Weidman (Urban Search and Rescue), from Franklin, Thomas Vagnini (Mobile Robotics), from Medfield, Wayne Boone (Collision Repair), and Gina Greene (Health Knowledge Bowl), from Medway, Kevin Kohls (Mobile Robotics), and Paul Shaw (Team Works), from Millis, Thomas Bourget (Web Design), Julia Hood (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Kevin Whitney (Urban Search and Rescue), from North Attleboro, Kate Healy (Web Design), from Norfolk, Kenzie Blakely (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Aaron Moore (Electrical Construction Wiring), from Plainville, Daniel Kay (Team Works), from Seekonk, Dillan Hoyt (Restaurant Service), and Katherine Pensak (Criminal Justice), from Walpole, William O'Rourke (Diesel Equipment), and Andrew Ricci (Internet Working), of Wrentham.

District gold medalists from Postsecondary are Emily Killion (Nail Care), from Bellingham, Kimberly Hinger (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Dian Tobin (Cosmo Over 500 Hours), from Franklin, Darlene Giusti (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Stephanie Logan (First Aid/CPR), from North Attleboro, Monica Harper (Practical Nursing), from Walpole, Sharon Blitchington (Medical Terminology), Megan Demers (Medical Math), Alison Henschel (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Nicole Pieroway (Health Knowledge Bowl), from Wrentham.

The high school students who received silver are Zachary Keeler (Urban Search & Rescue), and Matt Moses (Masonry), from Bellingham, Alyssa Gillespie (Customer Service), Jason Pisani (Telecommunications Cabling), and Christopher Roy (Criminal Justice), from Franklin, Kathryn Vagnini (Tech Computer Applications), from Medfield, Caleb Joyce-Vorce (Carpentry), and Jon LaVerdiere (Health Knowledge Bowl), from Medway, Torin Amoling (Urban Search & Rescue), Madeline Bettencourt (Screen Printing), Matthew Bouchard (Sheet Metal), Elizabeth Corvese (Web Design), Kellsey Geikie (Health Knowledge Bowl), Lucas Mullaney (Web Design), MacKenzie Rider (Dental Assisting), Kimberly Sorenson (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Christopher West (Computer Programming), of North Attleboro, Courtney Loney (Early Childhood Education), Samantha Gitschier (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Adam MacIsaac (Team Works), from Plainville, Alexander Fair (Graphic Communications), Michael Hinton (Culinary Arts), Thomas Moore (Team Works), and Evan Phillips (Team Works), from Seekonk, Nicholas Carlin (Industrial Motor Controls), and Alexander Whearty (Team Works), from Walpole, and Dylan Brennan (Diesel Equipment), from Wrentham.

The Postsecondary students who received silver are Jane Wambui (First Aid/CPR), from Attleboro, Bruce Dyl (Practical Nursing), from North Attleboro, and Leah Cook (Cosmo Over 500 Hours), from Wrentham.

The high school bronze medalists are Savanah Cuevas (Cosmo Over 500 Hours), and Janis Gaudreau (Dental Assisting), from Attleboro, Jessica Coates (Graphic Communications), from Bellingham, Jake DiFloures (Diesel Equipment), Tori Kehlhem (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Raymond Wilschek (Architectural Drafting), from Franklin, Meghan Dahl (Customer Service), William Galligan (Automotive Service), and Carlton Perkins (Mobile Robotics), from Medway, Devin Driscoll (Health Knowledge Bowl), from Millis, Allyson Bettencourt (Cabinetmaking), Abigail Fisher (Health Knowledge Bowl), Samantha Knox (Advertising Design), Damian O'Keefe (Computer Programming), Kaylie O'Sullivan (Masonry), and Tyler Thomas (Mobile Robotics), from North Attleboro, Jed Palmer (Telecommunications Cabling), from Norfolk, Gabrielle Gagne (Health Knowledge Bowl), and Lindsey Ogden (Screen Printing), from Seekonk.

The Postsecondary bronze medalists are Mary Fouhy (Cosmo Over 500 Hours), from Bellingham, Rebecca Richardson (Medical Math), from Foxborough, Kimberley Sargeant (Practical Nursing), and Lana Schifano (Medical Terminology), from Franklin, and Layla Marchand (First Aid/CPR), from North Attleboro.