Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students in the Career and Technology Education (CTE) program showcased their knowledge and abilities last month during a regional SkillsUSA competition. There are 5,100 students in the state who are members of SkillsUSA Maryland.

Charles County is part of the Southern Region — Region 4 — of SkillsUSA along with Calvert and St. Mary’s counties. The regional competition was held Feb. 1 at the Calvert Career and Technology Academy in Prince Frederick. Students from North Point and the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center competed in the regionals.

The areas of competition and the students who placed are listed below. The students will advance to the 52nd annual state SkillsUSA championship March 28 and 29 at Carroll County Career and Technology Center in Westminster.

Advertising design

• Jamie Caero, senior, North Point — gold medal.
• Damari Jenifer, senior, North Point — silver medal.

Audio production

• Ajani Miller, senior, and Folashade Akinde, senior, Stethem — bronze medal.

Automotive maintenance and light repair

• Raul Carranza-Aparicio, junior, Stethem — gold medal.

CPR and first aid

• Shealyn Oakes, senior, Stethem — gold medal.

Crime scene investigation

• Claire Hong, sophomore, Isabella McRae, sophomore, and Alexandra Powell, sophomore, North Point — gold medal.
• Madison Hird, senior, Freedom Lyons, senior, and Damari Rorie, senior, North Point — bronze medal.

Criminal justice

• Sophie Cox, senior, North Point —gold medal.

Digital cinema production

• Karis Alphonso, senior, and Tatiana Harvey, senior, Stethem — gold medal.
• Precious Foreman, junior, and Essence Day, junior, Stethem — silver medal.

Early childhood education

• Tierra Delmar, senior, North Point — gold medal.

Electrical wiring construction

• Dylan Gautier, senior, North Point — bronze medal.

Firefighting

• Joshua Gilroy, senior, Stethem — silver medal.

HVAC-R

• Kevin Hamilton Jr., junior, Stethem — silver medal.

Industrial motor control

• Jonathan Mobley, senior, North Point — gold medal.
• Erick Arriola, senior, North Point — silver medal.

Photography

• Matthew Smith, junior, Stethem — silver medal.

Pin design

• Chasity Okyere-Boateng, junior, North Point — gold medal.
• Marcus Burnette, junior, North Point — silver medal.

T-shirt design

• Heidi Yauch, junior, Stethem — silver medal.
• Makenzie Eribo, junior, North Point — bronze medal.

'Straight to states'

Students who will also compete at the state contest are North Point students Oluwatamilore Akinmade, sophomore, prepared speech; the Quiz Bowl team of sophomore Sophie Tesfazion, juniors Renata Ashton and Abhijeet Mand, and seniors Erin Cooley, Samarjeet Virk and Alicia Warren; juniors Mary Balancio and Morgan Stevenson, each for architectural drafting; an engineering technology design team of juniors Jaiden Benitez, Ethan Sekonde and Logan Wachsmuth; a Career Pathways Showcase — industrial and engineering design team of juniors Melina Dominguez-Amaya, Sydney Diggs and Mia Ubri; Kamille Jordan-Cotton, junior, technical drafting; Chinemerem Nwigwe, senior, related technical math; and Gabriella Varela, sophomore, customer service. Cooley, Warren, and sophomores Chelsea Metzger and Catherine Weisman will serve as delegates.

Stethem students who will also compete in the state competition are seniors Kyiesha Price and Nestine Estonactoc, and junior Delaney Darnes, each for medical terminology; juniors Erykah Manley, Ana Guevara and Deashia Freeman and senior Unity Bridges, each for job skill demonstration A; Mason Truesdell, junior, job interview; Landon Andrews, senior, automotive service technology; Makaila Lowe, senior, and Mikayla Richardson, junior, each for medical math; Keyton Powers, senior, and Charles Houston-Anderson, junior, each for sheet metal; the Health Knowledge Bowl team of seniors Charles Gaskin and Grady Hankinson, and juniors Kirsten Ross and Naomi Sunmola; and the entrepreneurship team of seniors Jordy Sanchez Zepeda, Naidlin Hernandez-Hernandez, Shelton Lewis Jr. and Jayder Caballero-Lemus.

Following the state competition later this month, the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference will be June 23 through 27 in Atlanta.

 

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 28,162 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.  CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).