PRCC hosts high school Skills USA competition

  POPLARVILLE – More than 150 high school students competed Thursday, Feb. 7, in Skills USA regional competition held at Pearl River Community College.
  Those who placed first, second and third in each category will advance to the state Skills USA competition Feb. 26 and 27 in Jackson.
  The students were welcomed to PRCC by Dr. Scott Alsobrooks, vice president for economic and community development. Fifty percent of today’s jobs require the type of knowledge learned in programs that are part of Skills USA, he said.
  “Skills USA is a great organization,” Alsobrooks said. “It helps keep in place the skills that are needed to keep this world ticking.”
Winners in each category are as follows:
  Architectural drafting – Brant Dedon of Harrison County Vo-Tech Center, first; Bryce Sheasby. Forrest County Agricultural High School, second; Chase Byrd, Hancock County Vo-Tech Center, third.
  Automotive service – C.J. Swanson, Lamar County Center for Technical Education, first; David Sucharsky, Gulfport High Technology Center, second; Christopher Helton, Greene County Vo-Tech, third.
  Cabinetmaking – Sean French, Ocean Springs Career-Technical Education, first; Adam Westmoreland, Harrison County Vo-Tech, second; Lane Dwyer, Jackson County Technology Center,  third.
  Carpentry – Reggie Warren, Jackson County Technology Center, first; Christian Slausser, Gulfport High Technology Center, second; Blake Ladner, Harrison County Vo-Tech, third.
  Extemporaneous speaking – Kolton Manning, Greene County Vo-Tech, first; Robert Bawcum, Jackson County Technology Center, second; Kathryn Holtz, Gulfport High Technology Center, third.
  Job interview – Taylor Harris, Harrison County Vo-Tech, first; Bill Draughn, Petal High School, second; Aubrey Phillips, Gulfport High Technology Center, third.
  Job skills demonstration A – Isaac Brealand of Greene County Vo-Tech, first; Cara Rizzo, second, and Ricky Sudduth, third, both of Pascagoula High School Vo-Tech.
  Job skills demonstration open – Tracey Le, Biloxi High School Career and Technology Center, first; Christopher Heathcock, second, and Mackenzie Walley, third, both of Greene County Vo-Tech.
  Masonry – Corey Anderson and Joseph Gollott, Jackson Co9unty Technology Center, first; Damahree Xayasane and Mike Ladner, Gulfport High Technology Center, second; Daulton Speed and Rasheeme Moses, North Forrest High School, third.
  Precision machining – Thomas Hunter of Pascagoula High School Vo-Tech Center, first; Donavon Hoda, Hancock County Vo-Tech Center, second; Mathew Hartfield, Lamar County Center for Technical Education, third.
  Prepared speech – Nathan Reed, first, and Ariel Johnson, second, both of Greene County Vo-Tech; Daniel Pratt, Biloxi High School Career and Technology Center, third.
  Quiz Bowl – Team B of Taylor Cabrera, Kahlin Frontera-Ocasio, Estrella Martinez, Destiny Reynolds and Erin Schlicht, Biloxi High School Career and Technology Center, first; Team 1 of Aaron Albritton, Charles French, Andrew Hicks, Blake Morrow,  and Logan Thompson of Forrest County AHS, second; Ty Dearman, Cortez Hinton, Angelo Peters, Rodney Taylor and Hayden West of Greene County Vo-Tech, third.
  Related technical math – Anthony Nichols, Harrison County Vo-Tech, first; Julian Richardson, Petal High School, second; Dylan Spencer, Jackson County Technology Center, third.
  Residential wiring – Ben Broom, Carl Loftin Career Center in Columbia, first; Dylan Frayser, Jackson County Technology Center, second; Ruben Lopez, Lamar County Center for Technical Education, third.
  Sheet metal – Drake Broome, Lamar County Center for Technical Education, first; Tyler Stidham, Hancock County Vo-Tech Center, second.
  Technical drafting – Beau King, Hancock County Vo-Tech Center, first; Taylor Valdez, Harrison County Vo-Tech, second; Michala Jerome, Forrest County AHS, third.
  Welding – Devin Duvall, Greene County Vo-Tech, first; Joseph Cuevas, Hancock County Vo-Tech, second; Justin Brown, George County High School, third.

Pictured below:

Ben Broom, a student at Carl Loftin Career Center in Columbia, works on his residential wiring assignment Feb. 7 during Skills USA high school competition at Pearl River Community College. He placed first and advances to state competition.

Ben Broom, a student at Carl Loftin Career Center in Columbia, works on his residential wiring assignment Feb. 7 during Skills USA high school competition at Pearl River Community College. He placed first and advances to state competition.

Each community college president is asked to bring two (2) wrapped door prizes, minimum value of $50 each. We will have a station set up at the conference for you to drop off the door prizes.

Each community college is asked to provide name tags for their Board members, administration, and staff attending the conference.