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With the winning of three gold medal championships at the SkillsUSA state competition this year, 10 Snowflake High School (SHS) students are prepping to compete at nationals in Louisville, Ken., at the end of June.
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Those students include: Derrick Willis, who took the state championship in cabinet making; Wyatt Dokey, William Dokey, Austin Reynolds and Anthony Gabaldon, who took state championship in Teamwork; and Tyler Peterson, Kristoffer Neff, Darren Neff, Ethan Miller, Paulina Loya and Cassandra Peterson, who took the state championship in the Quiz Bowl.
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While it didn’t give him a shot at nationals, Ryan Miller, the brother of Ethan, took bronze in Internetworking at state.
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As the lead teacher over the program, Daniel Prestwich, SHS construction technology teacher, said this is his 11th year working with the kids. “I took over the program when I hired on and we have been going to the SkillsUSA regional competitions ever since.”
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Working with Prestwich, are SHS teachers Andy Wood, who teaches Cisco, and Cheyenne Isaacs, who teaches in digital media.
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The regional competition covers all of northeastern Arizona, with the state conference being held annually in Phoenix.
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SkillsUSA focuses on the career and technical education, giving students a chance to learn the industries not just from the educational side but also from the employer’s view point. As noted on the SkillsUSA website: “Students discover and grow their career passions and appreciate their own self-worth through the work and dedication of instructors, administrators, association directors, industry partners and alumni.”
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As Prestwich shared, “It gives our students a chance to compete in the technical skills of cabinet making, welding, auto repair, cosmetology and fire science as well as soft skills that include job interviewing, extemporaneous speaking, service and leadership.”
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Another piece of SkillsUSA is the Quiz Bowl. The Quiz Bowl is broken into three categories that include current affairs, general school knowledge like science and math, with the last category incorporating the principles and framework of SkillsUSA.
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Prestwich said in 2014, the SHS students took three state championships. “To do it again four years later, shows the caliber of kids we are working with.”
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In the team works challenge, a team of four students work together to build a small building that incorporates their abilities to do construction, framing, masonry, plumbing and electrical work. “They have two days to build the small building, wire it, install the plumbing and do some form of masonry work on it,” Prestwich shared.
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Cabinet making is a tough competition, but one that Derrick has been working at since he was a sophomore. Prestwich said, “Derrick took gold in his sophomore year and then bronze in his junior year. He has amazing attention to detail and spent the last two years helping his dad construct the family home.”
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SkillsUSA is open to every high school student and the SHS team is always looking for new members to join their award-winning ranks.
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