A major effort to advance the Career Tech Education program at Mansfield Senior High will begin next week when a Tyger delegation attends the SkillsUSA Ohio Fall Leadership Conference in Columbus.
“Participation in SkillsUSA is a wonderful opportunity for our students,” said Assistant Principal Scott Musser, director of the Career Tech program. “It offers the means for them to demonstrate their technical and leadership skills.”
Kevin Williams, SkillsUSA Ohio director, has described the organization as “a partnership of students, teachers and business and industry working together to ensure Ohio has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA also provides its members with the opportunity to display their technical and leadership skills through the SkillsUSA Championships Program.”
Senior High’s representatives at the October 30-31 conference at the Columbus Convention Center will be:
- Senior Damoni Williams, construction
- Junior Quaniejk Norris, engineering
- Junior Nkosi Bradley, engineering
- Senior Nayasha Franklin, health technology
- Junior Savanna Yeater, health technology
The students will be accompanied by Dirk Eachus, director of the Career Tech performing arts program, who has accepted the role of SkillsUSA adviser. “I am excited to serve as adviser,” Eachus said. “Since the SkillsUSA program is new to us and I am new to Career Tech, I am glad to immerse myself in SkillsUSA.”
Musser said the five students applied for the opportunity to attend next week’s conference. “They will learn how to run an effective club and get it up and going at Senior High,” he said. “After learning about their roles and expectations, we will assign officers. They will be responsible for moving us forward.”
Approximately 250 juniors and seniors are potential SkillsUSA members, Musser said.
A key element of SkillsUSA participation is Career Tech skills competition at the local, regional, state and national levels in the SkillsUSA Ohio Championships Program.
“My goal is that we will have students in each Career Tech study area competing one-on-one against students from other districts in the spring,” Musser said.
Eachus said all Career Tech students will be encouraged to participate. “We want to build a leadership team within the student body of Career Tech which will be in regular contact with Mr. Musser, me and other students,” he said. “We will be active in community service outreach. I would hope too that our SkillsUSA participation will lead to more connections with area businesses.”
In addition to engineering, construction, health tech and performing arts, the Senior High Career Tech program includes auto tech, networking/gaming design, culinary arts, cosmetology, interactive/digital media, machine tech and computer-aided drafting and design.
Source, Photo: Mansfield City Schools
