Students compete at State Skills USA championships

46 Tazewell County Career and Technical Center students competed at the State SkillsUSA Virginia Leadership and Skills Championships held in Virginia Beach, on April 19-21. TCCTC students returned with nine gold medalists, eight silver medalists, and four bronze medalists. Not only did 21 contestants place in the top three, 40 out of 46 students placed in the top 10 of their events at the competition. Below is a list of the students and their standings.

Barbering

Ashley Shelton, Tazewell High School-Gold Medal-1st place

Esthetics

Stephanie Wingo, Tazewell High School with model Samantha Brewster-Gold Medal-1st place

Savannah Shouse, Graham High School with model Mikayla Linkous-5th place

Community Service Project-Spike’s Trike Track

Alana Capshaw, Tazewell High School; Ella Lawson, Richlands High School; Dalton “Scott”

Golcher, Graham High School-Gold Medal-1st place

Mechatronics

Julius Pridgen and Thomas Cole, Richlands High School-Gold Medal-1st place

Raygan Vance and Calvin Dowell, Richlands High School-Silver Medal-2nd place

Robotics and Automation

Blake Zinsmeister, Graham High School, and Wes Dudley, Tazewell High School-Gold Medal-1st place

Cabinetmaking

Sean Dillon Stout, Tazewell High School-Silver Medal-2nd place

First Aid-CPR

Makayla Matney, Richlands High School- Silver Medal-2nd place

Haley Reynolds, Tazewell High School-Bronze Medal-3rd place

Brett Bishop, Graham High School-4th place

TeamWorks

Carpentry students Orion Mustard and Matthew Shirey of Bland County High School partnered up with welding student Ethan Deel and masonry student Austin Miller from Richlands High School-Silver Medal-2nd place

Nail Technology

Aysia Hammond, Richlands High School with model Katie Blevins-Bronze medal-3rd place

Motorcycle Technology

Alyssa Bandy, Tazewell High School-Bronze medal-3rd place

Total Fantasy Look

Jayla Farmer and Kydalynn Brown both from Tazewell High School with model Charity Smalling from Graham High School-4th place

Marine Service Technology

Trenton Grimm, Graham High School-4th place

Power Equipment Technology

Stephen Muncy, Graham High School-4th place

Hope Looney, Graham High School-7th place

Job Skill Demonstration

Zoe Quinn, Tazewell High School-4th place

Cosmetology

Braelyn Honaker, Richlands High School-5th place

Masonry

Dylan Belcher, Graham High School-5th place

Criminal Justice

Kendi Dye, Richlands High School-6th place

Diesel Equipment Technology

Ashlynn Brunty, Graham High School-7th place

Jacob Bowden, Tazewell High School-8th place

Kenneth “KZ” Rose, Tazewell High School-9th place

Automotive Refinishing Technology

Ronin Loulies, Graham High School-8th place

Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair

Thomas Steele, Tazewell High School-8th place

Automotive Service Technology

Nickelas Stacy, Graham High School-9th place

Crime Scene Investigation

Autumn Hurd, Zoie Dowdy, and Maya Blevins, Tazewell High School-9th place

Masonry

Noah Niswander, Graham High School-13th place

“The hard work and dedication that these competitors displayed proves that TCCTC is leading their students to success in the workplace upon graduation. These state contests not only prepare students in their technical abilities but also in workplace readiness by teaching them soft skills that so many employers are actively looking for when hiring for positions,” said Sarah Cooke, TCCTC Lead SkillsUSA Advisor.

Looking ahead, nine Tazewell County Career and Technical Center students will set their sights on the National SkillsUSA competitions to be held in Atlanta, Georgia in June. Four instructors will be accompanying their students. If you would like to donate to assist with the costs for these students and instructors to attend the national competition, donations can be made to TCCTC by stopping by the school, via mail to 260 Advantage Drive, Tazewell, VA 24651, by contacting Lead SkillsUSA advisor Sarah Cooke at 276-988-2529 ext. 1722, or via email to [email protected].