(APPLETON) Students from Beaver Dam, Riverside and Watertown are headed to the state stage after turning in strong performances at a regional workforce competition in Appleton.
SkillsUSA Wisconsin held its regional contest Feb. 20 at Fox Valley Technical College, where middle and high school students competed in hands-on technical and leadership events. Several local students placed in the top three, earning a chance to advance to the state conference in Madison this April.
At Beaver Dam High School, Joshua Hutchenson took third in Automotive Service Technology. Teammates Jacon McClelland, Jackson Sauer and Wyatt Sutton captured first place in the high school Team Engineering Challenge, putting Beaver Dam at the top of the podium in one of the competition’s most collaborative events.
Riverside Middle School students had a standout day. Camila Siebenlist won first place in Job Skill Demonstration Open, and Addilee Skrobak placed third in the same event. In Prepared Speech, Remedy Yang finished first and Camden Steicher took second.
Riverside teams also dominated in robotics and engineering. Genevieve Giannetto and Jocelyn Jilek won first place in Middle School Urban Search and Rescue Robotics, while Seth Domer and Zoey White placed third. In the Middle School Team Engineering Challenge, Bentley Harrer, Gideon Listle and Jameson Stewart earned first place, and Amelia Evans, Elliott Reidl and Daniel Valenzuela finished second.
Watertown High School students also made their mark in Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue. Brennan Listle Jr. and Patrick Walrath claimed first place, and Katherine Huhn and Jocelyn Mielke finished third. Abbott Skrobak added another podium finish for Watertown with third place in Facilithon.
Students who placed at regionals can compete at the Wisconsin SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference, set for April 7 and 8 in Madison. Winners there may advance to the national competition in Atlanta this summer.
SkillsUSA Wisconsin connects students with hands-on training in trade, technical and skilled service careers, giving them a chance to test their skills in real-world settings — and, for many local students, a shot at representing their schools on a much bigger stage.
