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March 17, 2022Nearly Two Dozen Capital Region BOCES Career and Tech Students Earn Regional Honors
Nearly two dozen Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education students showed their in-depth knowledge of the skilled trades and earned medals at the regional SkillsUSA competition Wednesday, March 16 in Schenectady and Scotia. By doing so, the six first-place winners and many of the other medal winners earned the right to advance to the state SkillsUSA competition in Syracuse next month.
The students, who hail from school districts as far-reaching as Bethlehem and Cobleskill-Richmondville, showed expertise in their areas as diverse as carpentry and commercial baking and diesel engine repair and networking. They competed against their peers from Questar III and other BOCES during a day filled with events at Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) and Stratton Air National Guard Base.
The state SkillsUSA competition will be conducted April 27-29, 2022 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Winners of that event will advance to the national competition in Kentucky in June.
“Congratulations to our scholars at the area SkillsUSA Competition. They all did a fantastic job and we are very proud of them,” said Shelette Pleat, principal of the Career and Technical Education Albany Campus and a regional SkillsUSA administrator.
She went on to encourage the students to take pride in all they do.
“Be proud of the work you have done and be proud of the skills you have earned that have brought you here,” she said.
Students said they are looking forward to the state competition.
“I am looking forward to doing it again and winning (again), said Chloe-Jean “CJ” Thomas, a Criminal Justice student from Middleburgh whose team won the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) competition.
“It’s fun to see how well you do against others with the same interest,” said Zach York of Cobleskill-Richmondville (CRCS), who took first place in the welding and metal fabrication contest.
This year’s regional SkillsUSA medalists, their home school district and the competition they placed in are as follows:
Prize winners, their competition, program and home school district are as follows:
First Place
• Elaina McGrath, Cosmetology, Cosmetology, Bethlehem
• Tom Rodick, Prepared Speech, Network Cabling-Smart Home Technology, Shenendahowa
• Zach Yorke, Welding, Welding, CRCS
• The team of Breanna Powell, Sharon Springs, Chloe-Jean “CJ” Thomas, Middleburgh and Erin Haugh, Cobleskill-Richmondville, CSI, Criminal Justice.
Second Place
• Matthew Bellinger, Action Skills Basic, Pet Tech, Shenendahowa
• Brody Below, Auto Vehicle Maintenance, Automotive Trades, Guilderland
• Jocelyn Howe, Job Interview, Global Fashion Studies, Mohonasen,
• Chris Piccini, Welding, Welding, Voorheesville
• Madison Westerman, Criminal Justice, Speaking, Sharon Springs
• Ciara Savel, Commercial Baking, Culinary, Schoharie
Third Place
• Woudener Clement, Carpentry Assistant, Carpentry Services, South Colonie
• Emily Tice, Commercial Baking, Culinary, Guilderland
• Carlie Tucker, Culinary Arts, Culinary Arts, Shenendahowa
• Ryan Hobart, Welding, Welding, Mohonason
Fourth Place
• Ashlyn Knapp, Job Skill Demo, Pet Tech, South Colonie
Fifth Place
• Ariana Valle, Cosmetology, Cosmetology, , Shenendahowa
• Jade Ocampo, Commercial Baking, Culinary, Shenendahowa
• The team of Mason Welch, Duanesburg, Rhiannon Isip, Sharon Springs and Jeff Caron, Berne-Knox-Westerlo, CSI, Criminal Justice.
