Serious SKILLS
Two Gordon Central students win, one places third at Skills Challenge
Two Gordon Central High School students placed first in their respective categories and another nabbed third at the 2019 Northwest Skills Challenge in Cedartown recently.
Cody McNeese finished first in the electrical competition, Kevin Fraire took first in the masonry event, and Bailey Whitfield came home with third place in the blueprint reading category.
“The Skills Challenge is a great way for students to showcase their talent. Several students left with bags of tools and multiple job offers,” explained Bo Dooley, construction instructor at Gordon Central.
Rounding out the GCHS team was Issac Dye (electrical), Matthew Craig (carpentry), Josue Juarez (masonry), Shane Davis and Cage Ray (plumbing). Dooley said each of the team members completed well despite only three students placing in the top three of their events.
The Associated General Contractors of Georgia (AGC Georgia) joined forces with Brasfield & Gorrie and Duffey Southeast Inc. to host construction students from 11-area high schools for the Northwest Georgia Workforce Development Alliance Skills Challenge.
“This is a great opportunity for high school students who are interested in the general contracting and construction industries to showcase what they’ve learned through a series of skills challenges,” said Mike Dunham, CEO of AGC Georgia. “Beyond inspiring the competitors, we hope to educate and engage students to understand the opportunities within construction and encourage them to consider our industry as a career path.”
Construction students from the following schools competed in the Northwest Georgia Skills Challenge: Adairsville High, Carrollton High, Cass High, Chattooga High, Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy, Gordon Central High, North Paulding High, Pickens High, Polk County College and Career Academy — Cedartown High, Polk County College and Career Academy — Rockmart High and Rome High.
Along with the more than 75 competitors who attended the event, several hundred more students attended as observers to learn the process in hopes of competing in future years. Local industry companies provided the volunteer judges for each of the skills competitions, as well as the volunteers who offer hands-on activities for student observers.
This event, along with the four others in this Skills Challenge series, also prepares students who go on to compete in the regional SkillsUSA event in January, said Dunham. Winners of that regional event participate in the state SkillsUSA competition in early March at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The overall results of the competition were:
BLUEPRINT READING
1. Katelyn Tucker — Pickens High School
2. Isiah Ellenburg — Polk County College Career Academy/Cedartown
3. Bailey Whitfield — Gordon Central High School
CARPENTRY
1. Fernando Lopez — Carrollton High School
2. Mike Cummings — Adairsville High School
3. Ty Veatch — Chattooga
High School
ELECTRICAL
1. Cody McNeese — Gordon Central High School
2. Eduardo Lopez — Adairsville High School
3. Tristen Price — Chattooga High School
MASONRY
1. Kevin Fraire — Gordon Central High School
2. Dustin King — Chattooga High School
3. Jacob McAdams — Floyd County College Career Academy
PLUMBING
1. Oliver Nolasco — Polk County College Career Academy/Rockmart
2. Cak Tillery — Polk County College Career Academy/
Cedartown
3. Hunter Blackmon — Adairsville
TEAM WORKS
1. Adairsville High School 2. North Paulding High School
3. Chattooga High School
WELDING
1. Sage Owings — Chattooga High School
OVERALL REGIONAL
WINNER
1st — Adairsville High School For more information about Skills Challenges, visit www.agcga.org/skills.