Students at the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie brought home six gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the State Skills USA competitions.
The Center competed in the post-secondary division of the 45th Annual Conference in Chattanooga and received gold medals in Plumbing, HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning), CNC Turning, CNC Milling and Sustainable Solutions. The school also placed Second in Electronics Technology and Third in Telecommunications Cabling. The competition tested students in practical skills as well as oral and written exams. All the winners will advance to the national competition in June in Kansas City, MO.
Mark Reed of Trenton earned gold in HVAC this year making three years in a row that TTC McKenzie has won first place in HVAC. Brian Cruse of Gleason and Steve Crawford of Paris placed first in the Sustainable Solutions event. They will compete in the Sustainable Energy competition at Nationals with their Micro Hydro display. Ralph Turnbow of Dresden took home the top spot in Plumbing. The Machine Tool Program brought home two gold medals with Terrell Johnson of Huntingdon winning in the CNC Turning competition and Robert Douglas of Bruceton placing first in CNC Milling. The Green Technology program was well represented with TJ Dailey of McKenzie placing 2nd in Electronics Technology, and Brian Bates of Trenton taking home the bronze medal in Telecommunications Cabling.
Instructors who will accompany the students to nationals in Kansas City are James Tucker, Bruce Moore, Darrell Roland, and Terry Wilson. “We look forward to the national competition and plan on doing very well,” Wilson said.
Skills USA is a national organization serving teachers along with high school and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations. Skills USA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. At the annual national-level Skills USA Championships, over 5,000 students compete in 87 occupational and leadership skill areas.
