Tuesday, February 23, 2010

PRCC hosts high school Skills USA competition

    POPLARVILLE - Approximately 210 students from 18 South Mississippi high schools competed Tuesday at Pearl River Community College for district Skills USA-Mississippi honors.
    The top three finishers in each category will advance to state competition on April 14 and 15 at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jefferson Davis Campus in Gulfport.
    Skills USA-Mississippi is the vocational student organization for students enrolled in a trade, technical, industry or health-related program. First place winners in state competition will advance to the National Leadership and Skills Conference in June in Kansas City, Mo.
    District first-, second- and third-place winners are as follows:
    Architectural drafting - Brandon Breazeale, Forrest County Agricultural High School; Kelsey Ellis, Biloxi High School; Gilberto Pavon, Harrison County Vo-Tech Center.
    Automotive - Christian Tynes, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center; Breck Brockway, George County High School; Randy Nichols, Carl Loftin Vocational-Technical Career Center, Marion County.
    Cabinetmaking - Jeffery Kendrick, North Forrest High School; Mike Hollins, E.H. Keys Technology Center, Ocean Springs; LyCedrick Johnson, Jefferson Davis County Vo-Tech Center.
    Carpentry - Tyler Rule, North Forrest High School; Corey Herran, Hancock County High School; Stacey Rogers, Harrison County Vo-Tech Center.
    Electronics technology - Tyler Graham, Lamar County Technical Center, was the only competitor and automatically advanced to state competition.
    Extemporaneous speaking - Ryan Malone, Carl Loftin Center; and Skyler Helman, Biloxi High School, were the only competitors and automatically advanced to state competition.
    Job interview - Nicole Cochrane, George County; Ashley Butcher, Biloxi High; and Caleb Vick, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center.
    Job skills A - Channing Walley, Greene County Vo-Tech Center; Sidney Brewer, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center; Mitch Jenkins, Greene County Vo-Tech Center.
    Job skills demonstration - David Busby, Greene County Vo-Tech Center; Bernie Thompson, George County High School; Joseph Williams, Greene County Vo-Tech Center.
    Masonry (two-person teams) - Ben Fernandez and Damon Kletecka, E.H. Keys Vo-Tech Center, Ocean Springs; Joshua Ard and Manny Santos, Harrison County Vo-Tech Center; Charles Pinkston and Breann Baker, Biloxi High School.
    Precision machining - Benjamin Ford, Lamar County Technical Center; Jeremy Cooper, Hancock County Vo-Tech Center; and Kahl Fruge, Harrison County Vo-Tech Center.
    Prepared speech - Kevin Broom, Carl Loftin Career Center; Jazmine Espino, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center; and Zachery Waltman, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center.
    Quiz bowl - Mark Shaylor, Chaz Ainsworth, Jeremy Miques, Dexter Ladner and Chris Miceli, Harrison Central High School; Kyle Austin, Samuel Clark, Cody Dyar, Grant McLaurin and John Oswalt, Forrest County AHS; Ashley Broussard, Ashleigh Bristol, Craig Gruchet and Chelsea Williams, Biloxi High School.
    Related technical math - Kyle Keemer, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center; Emanuel Ellis, Gulfport High Tech Center; Matthew Byrd, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center.
    Residential wiring - Reginald Butler, Jefferson Davis County Vo-Tech Center; Phillip Henderson, Jackson County Vo-Tech Center; Landon Dunn, Carl Loftin Career Center.
    Sheet metal - Jeffery Cooper, Hancock County Vo-Tech, and Jared Atkins, Lamar County Technical Center, were the only competitors and automatically advanced to state competition.
    Technical drafting - Robert Richardson, Harrison County Vo-Tech Center; Alberto Ortiz, Biloxi High School; and Taylor McCardle, Forrest County AHS.
    Welding - Christopher Helton, Greene County Vo-Tech Center; Kyle Cameron, Lamar County Technical Center; and Dakota Parnell, George County High School.
    Photo captions:
    High school students compete in the residential wiring category Tuesday during Skills USA competition at Pearl River Community College.
    PRCC Public Relations photo
    Ben Ford, a student at the Lamar County Technical Center, works on a precision machining project Tuesday during Skills USA competition at Pearl River Community College. Ford placed first in the district competition. Watching is PRCC machine technology student Joe Boone of Poplarville.