The Missouri East Central SkillsUSA District Competition was held Thursday February 13^th at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center. Five schools competed at Districts with competitors in the following courses: Auto Tech, Construction Tech, Precision Machining, Culinary Arts, Computer Networking, Health Occupations, PLTW (Project Lead The Way), Welding, Digital Media, Welding, Childcare, EMT, Criminal Justice, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), and Computer Coding.

Tyler Sikes competed in Districts and is advancing to State for Digital Cinema. “[For SkillsUSA], I had to produce a short film with a run time of a minimum of 2:30 but can run as long as 4 minutes. This was surprisingly difficult because we had to center the film on a set theme, must include a mandated prop [a fidget spinner] and a mandated line of dialog [“You’re just going to have to trust me”]. The film my team produced was a horror mystery that took 18 hours to film, for a 2:30 – 4 minute film. Editing took an additional four days (Sunday – Wednesday) and had to be submitted by midnight on Wednesday.”

Not only does SkillsUSA allow students to compete in competitions (Locals, Districts, State and even Nationals), there is a group of elected students that run the SkillsUSA office. At the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, the SkillsUSA officers are Breawna Austin (AM President), Jon Bond (PM President), Jurnee McKnight (AM Vice-President), Matthew Sandvik (PM Vice-President), Antonekia Johnson (AM Secretary), Sophia Logeman (PM Secretary), Hillary Eckley (AM Treasurer), Samantha Collins (PM Treasurer), Nathan Reynolds (AM Reporter), Brandon Carlyle (PM Reporter), Madeline Elfrink (AM Historian), Peighton Robinson (PM Historian), Jackson Andrews (AM Parliamentarian), and Summer Edwards (PM Parliamentarian).

Jurnee McKnight, Vice-President of SkillsUSA for the AM Courses had the following to say about her position in SkillsUSA Office: “I enforce the rules after meeting with the President and give it to the ambassadors. I assemble the meetings as well. It has made me become more of a leader & representing our group as Vice President has allowed me to inform and learn so much from others. To bring students into SkillsUSA I would inform them about the competitions, the bonds you create. It just gets you involved and gives you that chance to be a leader.”

During a short interview with Lauri Guffey, the head advisor of SkillsUSA for the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, I asked the following question: “How long have you been involved with SkillsUSA and what advice would you give to students wanting to be enrolled in classes that compete in SkillsUSA?” Guffey responded: “I have been the SkillsUSA advisor for 19.5 years. Students who plan to enroll in our programs should participate in SkillsUSA for a variety of reasons. Most employers that you will talk to will be looking for team players with professional, technical, management, and communication skills. SkillsUSA is the place for you to get these skills to better prepare you for the future. SkillsUSA will give you an advantage over other applicants by putting you in contact with leaders in life after school. SkillsUSA also allows you to achieve goals as an individual giving you the opportunity to set these personal goals as high as you want to.”

Missouri SkillsUSA State Competition is April 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th this year at State Technical College of Missouri in Linn, MO.

---

The following Cape Central students are heading to State Competition:

*Some students are awaiting results*

Welding

Tyrus Janzow | Welding Fab
Dominic Scott | Welding Fab

EMT

Sarah Fite | Emergency Tech
Sarah Dowdy | Emergency Tech
Kierra Wyatt | Emergency Tech

PLTW (Project Lead The Way)

Johnathan Tobey | Technical Drafting

Precision Machining

Hunter Hiett | CNC Milling Specialist

Criminal Justice / Criminal Justice A

Breawna Austin | Crime Scene Investigation
Kara Stricker | Crime Scene Investigation

Digital Media

Tyler Sikes | Cinema-A
Anna Wilke | Cinema-A