Keystone Central CTC students excel at state SkillsUSA Competition
HERSHEY, PA – Members of the Keystone Central Career & Technology SkillsUSA team Keystone Central recently competed at the PA State SkillsUSA Competition in Hershey.
Central Mountain High School seniors, Alexander Eisenhower, Brian Taylor, and Gabriel Coakley brought home a first-place win in the Career Pathways Showcase – Industrial and Engineering Technology. Student teams use their course of study as the basis of a project that will benefit their class, school, community or industry. The CMHS team designed a water filter that could be used to filter water for an entire household. Their product provides a simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly solution to families in third world populations that have scarce potable water resources.
As a result of their efforts, the students earned a Gold Medal and are now eligible to represent their school at the National SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, Georgia in June. They also each earned a $10,000 ($2,500/year for four years) scholarship from the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
The team remarked, “The competition was a cool experience. While it could be nerve wracking, it was also a confidence booster. We got more confident in our presentation at each level of competition, and we’re excited to be heading to nationals.”
Drafting Design Technology Instructor, Fred Hoy said, “I am so proud of our students’ efforts and so pleased that their hard work paid off in such a big way at the state contest. I am looking forward to the students competing at nationals.”
Coming in at a respectable second place was a Community Service team consisting of CMHS juniors, Emma Evey, Kurt Yap, Melissa Clymer, and seniors, Rachel Glossner, and Yvonne Jordan. The team submitted a presentation on the Jared Boxes they created with the help of high school students and the community, which were then later donated to Geisinger at Danville.
Other students earning the right to compete at the state level were CMHS juniors, Brooke Love, placing 8th in Customer Service and Rachel Hall, placing 6th in Technical Drafting. Senior, Emily Bartlett, placed 4th in Health Occupations Professional Portfolio.
