UPTON – Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School students had an opportunity to test their vocational-technical competency by competing with other trained career and technical education students from six vocational high schools during the first of three SkillsUSA competitions. On March 16, 218 BVT students competed in the annual SkillsUSA Massachusetts District V Competition with outstanding outcomes.

The competition allows students to demonstrate their vocational-technical education, skills, and knowledge with SkillsUSA employment and trade tests. Successfully demonstrating their knowledge in their career technical area of study, employability skills, and safety, student-competitors from BVT proudly claimed 33 gold, 37 silver, 32 bronze medals and swept 11 categories.

Seventy-seven students will advance from districts to compete amongst the most talented vocational-technical students in the Commonwealth at the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State competition held at BVT in late April. An additional twenty-eight students will go directly to the state competition, and twenty-five student delegates will represent BVT. The complete list of medalists is available at www.valleytech.k12.ma.us/skillsusa.

BVT students who earned medals at the SkillsUSA Massachusetts District V Leadership Conference from Douglas, Uxbridge and Northbridge.

Douglas

State Officer Candidate:  Hunter Claflin

Gold: Sophia Payson, Welding; Skyler Robinson, Restaurant Service; Bryan Wheeler, Robotics & Automation Tech; and Julia White, Esthetics

Silver:  Laney Beahn, Urban Search & Rescue; Griffin Beaulieu, CNC Technician; Logan Hampson, Major Appliance Technology; John Kearney, Additive Manufacturing; Lindsey Provost, Health Knowledge Bowl; Brett Staples, Web Design; and Chloe Vescio, Additive Manufacturing

Bronze: Emily Muniz, Urban Search & Rescue

Northbridge

Gold: Riley Driver, Industrial Motor Control; and Emily Wildfeuer, Architectural Drafting

Silver:  Dylan Leeds, Mobile Robotics; Kayla Leppamaki, Robotics & Automation Tech; Mackenzie Malone, Health Knowledge Bowl; Ella Rogozenski, Urban Search & Rescue; and Faith Sawyer, Health Knowledge Bowl

Bronze: Joseph Hehir, Team Works; Jonathan Hollenbeck, and HVAC/R; Luke Scholl, Team Works

Uxbridge

Gold: Riley Holt, Mechatronics; Makaylah Holzman, Additive Manufacturing; Robert Mellen, Mechatronics; and Adam Pratt, Robotics & Automation Tech

Silver: Kali Bly, Cosmetology Under 500 Hours; Isabel Cahill, Photography; Caterina Corapi, Robotics & Automation Tech; Mia Guadagnoli, Health Knowledge Bowl; Autumn Herrick, Telecommunications Cabling; Nolan Holt, Culinary Arts; Om Patel, Mobile Robotics; Abril Sanchez, Digital Cinema Production; and Alexis Vazquez, Digital Cinema Production

Bronze: Yara Alomar, Nurse Assisting; Savannah Brodeur, Cosmetology Under 500 Hours; Riley Goyette, Mobile Robotics Technology; Aleksandra Mach, Commercial Baking; Matthew Paxton, Team Works; and Joshua Thompson, Digital Cinema Production.