FRANKLIN TWP. | At Warren County
Technical School, which is seeing record enrollment, students
just set a record of their own.
The students won the most gold
medals ever in individual events at the state's SkillsUSA Championships
last weekend.
The first-place winners qualified
to compete at the national level in Kansas City, Mo.
"You are talking about a lot of
industry and corporate recognition," SkillsUSA adviser Ed Yarusinsky
said. "There has to be a national sponsor for every event -- Lowe's
is one of the biggest -- and lots of kids get jobs at nationals."
Sixty-two Warren Tech students
competed against more than 1,500 of their peers in New Jersey
during the competitions. In all, 21 students won medals.
"The whole idea is to show what
our kids can do and that career, technical and vocational education
is important," Yarusinsky said. "It recognizes not everyone is
going to school to go to college and they are in high demand."
The students' successes are even
more impressive when you look at the size of the schools they
go up against, he said.
"We are one of the smallest technical
schools in the state. For our students, staff and board, it's
quite an accomplishment," Yarusinsky said.
The adviser said the overall success
from year to year varies based on the students. But he does think
returning students such as Dhaval Trivedi, a junior, played a
role in the number of medals the Knights took home.
In his first competition last year,
Trivedi took home a bronze. This year, he scored top honors by
building a circuit for a digital compass in 40 minutes, beating
seven other students.
"I'm never going to forget this,"
he said. "I won for the state, which is really big for me. I didn't
expect it."
Trivedi came to the school because
he wanted to learn how electronics worked.
"Now I can use this basic theory
to make something and design it and know why it does this and
how it does this," he said. "Once you have the knowledge, you
can compete."
Students said competing gives them
more confidence and practice testing out their skills in high-stress
environments.
"But the main thing is that these
kids accepted the challenge and that's important in itself," Yarusinsky
said. "I give our students a lot of credit to go out and give
it their best effort."
Warren County Technical School medalists
were:
-- First place, gold medals
Tom O'Loughlin: Automotive service
technology
Ken Lunden: Cabinetmaking
Erica Washkwich and Jessica Catlano
(model): Nail care
Dhaval Trivedi: Electronics applications
Zach Jones: Graphic communications
Erin LePera: Screen printing (process
color)
Alex Curtis: Job skill demo (machine
trades)
Kasey Summers and Rozlin Ford:
Audio production
-- Second place, silver medals
Meg Conrad: Job interview
James Race: Food service technician
Mark Ferrara: Technical computer
applications
Krysti Hartman: Screen printing
(process color)
-- Third place, bronze medals
Alexis Perch: Cosmetology novice
Jessica Brandes, Amanda Rooks,
Lindsey Meyers and Amanda Johnson: broadcast news production
Rachel Williams and Kris Gordon:
television production