BVT Students Shine In SkillsUSA

 

 

Valley Tech gold medalist and Culinary Arts senior Rebecca Rose (l) with silver medalist and Culinary Arts junior Taylor Nasuti of Upton (r)

UPTON –  It’s on to Louisville for 23 Blackstone Valley Tech students who will represent Massachusetts in this summer’s SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference Championships.

The students punched their tickets to the national stage by winning golds medals and special elections during the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Leadership and Skills Conference Championships on April 29, 2016. Hosted by Valley Tech, the annual event featured more than 3,000 of the state’s top career technical education students competing in skill-based challenges designed and judged by panels of industry and trade professionals. Valley Tech students won a total of 37 medals, including 19 gold, 15 silver, and 3 bronze, and kept their impressive winning streak alive in the Olympics of vocational technical education.

The championships kicked off with a special address from Massachusetts Secretary of Education James A. Peyser, who noted that it was not his first time inside the Valley Tech competition center, as he visited BVT alongside Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito for an inaugural event in January 2015. Similar to the inaugural celebration, Secretary Peyser said that his participation in the SkillsUSA opening ceremony represented the Baker Administration’s enthusiasm and excitement for the “importance of this school and schools like it to the future of the Commonwealth.”

“Our career technical education system is one of Massachusetts’ greatest success stories,” Secretary Peyser told the students. “The knowledge and skills you’re gaining will give you an important advantage in the marketplace.”

Blackstone Valley Tech Superintendent-Director Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick followed Secretary Peyser’s remarks by encouraging students to celebrate their roles as “champions of excellence” and pay no heed to anyone who suggests that their accomplishments are “attributable to the skill-set you possessed when you originally entered your vocational technical system.”

“Some observers feel your chosen school plucked you from a garden of excellence and you prospered automatically,” Fitzpatrick said. “Such a viewpoint fails to recognize your attention to detail, your response to expert coaching and instruction, and your daily hard work as vvocational-technical champions.”

Top performers from state championships around the country will now advance to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, June 20-24, 2016.

The following Blackstone Valley Tech students won 19 gold, 15 silver, and 3 bronze medals, as well as several student elections and special awards at the 2016 SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Leadership and Skills Conference Championships:

Upton

Gold:

• Josie Burlingame, Community Service
• Kevin Konieczny, Welding
• Bailey Martin, Diesel Equipment Technology

Silver:

• Alyssa Andrade, Esthetics
• Alexis Sherwin, Cosmetology Under 500 Hours.

Bronze:

• Taylor Nasuti, Restaurant Service

Mendon

Silver:

• Kristina Campbell, Esthetics
• Amanada Godowski, Painting and Design Technology.

 

Bellingham

Gold: Rachel DeWolfe, Photography.

Silver: Robert Lizotte, Cabinetmaking.

Blackstone

Silver: Zachary Marcus, Carpentry.

 

Douglas

Gold: Ben Aube, 3-D Visualization & Animation.

Silver: Matthew Keith, H.V.A.C.

Grafton

Gold: Mikayla Corda, Community Service; Olivia Klotz, Urban Search & Rescue.

Silver: Alexandra Valoras, Additive Manufacturing.

Jannine Baker Legacy Award & Scholarship: Mikayla Corda.

Hopedale

Gold: Kathleen Daly, Medical Terminology (Post-Secondary).

Silver: Genevieve Kempster, Nail Care.

Milford

Silver: Nagelie Otero Mendez, Nail Care; Cameron Pelletier, Additive Manufacturing.

Bronze: Steven Beaudrot, Telecommunications Cabling.

State Officer Elect: Stacey Muanya.

 

Millbury

Gold: Justin Duclos, 3-D Visualization & Animation; Brittney Hjort, Commercial Baking; Rebecca Rose, Restaurant Service.

Silver: Emeline Imbody, Cosmetology Under 500 Hours.

 

Millville

Gold: Mina Dehestani, Community Service; Bryan Desrosier, Robotics & Automation Tech.

Northbridge

Gold: Rachel Arnold, Urban Search & Rescue.

Bronze: Kayleigh Poudrier, Medical Terminology.

National Voting Delegate: Nicole Cella; Kayleigh Poudrier.

Sutton

Gold: Jeffrey Hebert, H.V.A.C.; Carson Hope, Health Occupations Portfolio; Lauren Mahoney, Culinary Arts; Marc Peladeau, Welding Sculpture.

Uxbridge

Gold: Steven Alger, Robotics & Automation Tech.

Silver: Daniel Rice, Automotive Service Technology; Hunter Schreiber, Diesel Equipment Technology; Meagan Villemaire, Practical Nursing (Post-Secondary).

National Voting Delegate: Meghan Wills.