Students Excel Yet Again!

SkillsUSA State Competition!

Time and time again, Kankakee Area Career Center students prove ~ when it comes to skills ~ We’ve got ‘em!

KACC students once again made their presence known at the state-wide SkillsUSA Competition in Springfield last weekend. This SkillsUSA competition is the scholastic bowl or state finals, if you will, for those students involved in career and technical education.

Both the state and national competitions require students to demonstrate occupational as well as leadership skills.  At the state level, there were over 1,000 students competing in 19 occupational areas. At the annual national-level championships, this coming June, there will be over 4,600 students to compete in 84 occupational and leadership skill areas.

According to Director, Don Fay, KACC’s reputation for dominating the state competition is well known.  Upon arriving to the competition, incoming Principal, Bosa Goodale, stated “People actually stopped and stared at our students as they came off of the bus. Our entire team” she continued, “wore black and white and many students had the official red SkillsUSA sport coats on.   I even had a teacher from a competing school come up and compliment me on the professionalism of our students.”

KACC students were not just looking good, they performed exceptionally well. A total of 64 of the 69 students who participated in the SkillsUSA competition received a ranking within the top 10 in the State of Illinois.  Of those 64, twenty-five brought home medals and seventeen  students, and one alternate placed FIRST in the State earning the gold medal and the privilege of an invitation to compete at National SkillsUSA.  National SkillsUSA competition will be held the last week of June in Kansas City, Missouri.

According to SkillsUSA mentor, Lucas Papineau, “This year was one of the best and most enjoyable trips we’ve had to the SkillsUSA State Conference.  The students had a great time and brought home a lot of medals.  With the talent and hard work these students put forth I have no doubt we will be very successful at Nationals.”

Sharon Barnard, SkillsUSA mentor concurred stating “Each and every year, I am amazed at the great strides our Career Center students make when it comes to competition.  They really know their stuff and project the professionalism throughout every moment we are there.”

KACC’s SkillsUSA coordinators, Sharon Barnard, Cosmetology Instructor, Lucas Papineau, Computer Technology Instructor and Chris Morse, Collision Repair Instructor were delighted to announce the names of those students earning such prestigious honors.

The following group of students earned Gold Medals and an invitation to compete at National SkillsUSA  in June in Kansas City, MO:

Those Career Center Students who rated in the top 10 within the State of Illinois are as follows:

Competition was stiff and grueling, and considering the great numbers of competitors, KACC is very proud of the efforts and dedication to coursework and to the desire to represent KACC in such great fashion of the following students – even though they didn’t place in the top ten, they did a fabulous job:   From BBCHS – Travis Turrell, Alex Van Duyn, Jake Lecyuer, Kristen Ellis, Scott Winterringer, Matt Gallagher and Robert Beckman; from Beecher High School- Justin Krohn, Devin Redus; From Bishop McNamara- Mike Donath; From Momence- Chris Sharkey Ayana Jones, Eric Baker, From Peotone – Zach Cook,  From Watseka – Samantha West.

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