Is There Anything More American Than Apple Pie?

BVT Culinary Students Bake Apple Pies for WorldSkills Event

The participants of the 2016 WorldSkills General Assembly, co-hosted by Canada’s Skills Competencies Canada and the United States’ SkillsUSA, were treated to an All-American Barbecue including the American culture’s signature dessert: apple pie.

The mini apple pies were made by culinary students at Blackstone Valley Tech. The students baked 300 individually wrapped mini apple pies for the delegates of the WorldSkills General Assembly over two-days before sending them off with the US delegation of SkillsUSA to be enjoyed at the event.

“It was an honor to present each participant with an individual apple pie made by our students. The pies not only represented America’s pastime, but the extraordinary talent and skill of our career and technical education students. We were very proud as participants raved about the pies.” said Karen Ward, Executive Director of SkillsUSA Massachusetts.

The 2016 WorldSkills General Assembly marked the first time the General Assembly has been held in North America, and the first time two countries have co-hosted the event. As a co-host the United States had the opportunity to showcase students and national pastimes. The participants of the General Assembly were gifted baseball bats and baseballs in addition to the mini apple pies in order to truly paint a picture of a piece of America’s culture.

“The pies became a gathering point to welcome the world – 63 countries from Austria to Zambia enjoyed a slice of America thanks to the talents of our students. Thank-you to Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School, the teachers, students and members of the school’s administrative team for bringing our vision to reality and our hospitality to the world. We are very grateful,” Ward said.

The pies were not the only representation of BVT at the WorldSkills General Assembly. Senior Stacey Muanya was the official spokesperson for SkillsUSA at the international event.

At the event, more than 300 participants worked together in strategic planning meetings with a goal of improving the world through skill development and helping students find meaningful career paths and training for jobs that must be filled.