“This year’s Skills Canada event was the largest and most successful ever,” said Skills Canada Regional Coordinator Jamie Maxwell. “Over 300 competitors competed in a wide variety of events.”
Events included TV/Video Production, Cabinetmaking, Carpentry, Graphic Design, Hairdressing, Job Interview, Public Speaking, Welding, Spaghetti Bridge Building, Gravity Vehicle Racing, Robotics, Drafting, Sumo Robots and Gearbots.
The students were all very proud of their efforts, and Maxwell added how important competitions like this are. “Skilled Trades and Technologies are good options for today’s youth,” he said.
Many of NLC’s instructors, staff and students volunteered at the event.
“A day like this is tons of fun, a great day,” said Automotive Service Technician instructor Rod Cork. “This is also an opportunity to take some fear out of the future for these kids and show them that trades are not all work, it can be fun too. We have a great opportunity through this skills competition to provide mentoring, community and public service for all who attend.”
Each competition is chaired and judged by an experienced member of that trade as the Technical Chair.
“My role is to organize students for the competition and help them showcase their skills in addition to encouraging them to do their best and also improve,” explained North Peace Secondary School Hairdressing teacher and technical chair Kara Myllymaki. “I believe hairdressing is always a good industry to get into because it’s constantly growing and the work hours sometimes are a better fit for workers with young families.”
At the same time as the Skills Canada Peace Region Competition, younger grades were invited from across the school districts to participate in a Try-a-Trade and Women in Trades events.
“Having all three events run concurrently created an atmosphere that hummed with the talent of all involved.” said School District 59 Assistant Superintendent Candice Clouthier, “The presence of the elementary students added to the ambiance and the excitement of the day.”
Clouthier was thrilled to see students trying all the trades and observed their obvious interest in the hands-on experiences, especially the young girls attending the Women in Trades event.
“The Women in Trades event was well attended and a great experience for the young women involved,” she said. “This was a great opportunity for young women to meet and converse with successful women in trades.”
From here, the winners of the Regional Competition will have the opportunity to be invited to attend the Provincial Competition, taking place April 13th in Abbotsford.
The 2016 finalists for the Skills Canada Peace Region competition were:
JUNIOR SKILLS
Gravity Vehicle Race
Gold Delaney Dunbar (McLeod)
Silver Sage Halma (DCSS-CC)
Bronze Cole Regner, Shawn Coldwell (DCSS)
Spaghetti Bridge
Gold Anika Humborstad / Amy Crandall (DCSS-CC)
Silver Krystina Haggard / Donovan Wieler / Rainah Green (CSS)
Bronze Matia Baburisca / Abe Fehr (Prespatou Elem-Sec)
Sumo Robot
Gold Bree Torgrimson (Ecole Frank Ross)
Silver Cameron Fehr, Jonathan Friesen, Peter Wall (Prespatou Elem-Sec)
Bronze Brendan Klassen, Jordan Sowers (Prespatou Elem-Sec)
SECONDARY
2D Computer Animation
Gold Samantha Chalmers (DCSS-SP)
Silver Julie Cade (DCSS-SP)
Bronze Nick Williams (DCSS-SP)
TV/Video Production
Gold Jaden Ford / Nova LeFresne (DCSS-SP)
Silver Bohdi Landon / Zac Grose (CSS)
Bronze Jacob Dempsey (CSS)
Mechanical CAD
Gold Caden Embree (DCSS-SP)
Silver Jordan Peterat (DCSS-SP)
Graphic Design
Gold Alexis Glenn (NPSS)
Silver Evan Syrnyk (CSS)
Bronze Tanner Calliou (CSS)
Cabinetmaking
Gold Tommy Bullert (NPSS)
Silver Kohl Halladay (NPSS)
Bronze Austin Baxter (NPSS)
Carpentry
Gold Nick Kurjata (NPSS)
Silver Chris MacKay
Bronze Logan Perison (DCSS-SP)
Hairdressing
Gold Chelsea Babcock (NPSS)
Silver Kylee Knight-Stutzman (NPSS)
Bronze Ayla Falkenberg (NPSS)
Job Interview
Gold Tobyn Volz (NPSS)
Silver Alyssa Strelaev (NPSS)
Public Speaking
Gold Erykah Brown (DCSS-SP)
Silver Justin Mah (NPSS)
Bronze Cliodhna McMenamin (NPSS)
Robotics
Gold Parker Gould / Dylan Lock / Justin Mah / Cody Brulé (NPSS)
Silver Jordan Streeper / Riley Boomer / Sara Hanaback / Hannah Klassen (FNSS)
Welding
Gold Tristen Scriven-Feisel (DCSS-SP)
Silver Jayden Gagne (DCSS-SP)
Bronze Samuel Needham (DCSS-SP)
Culinary Arts
Gold Leah Gifford (NPSS)
Silver Sara Lyons (NPSS)
Bronze Matthew McMullin (NPSS)
Automotive Service
Gold Joshua Needham (NPSS)
Silver Liam Robertson (NPSS)
Bronze Trystan Mercer (NPSS)
POST-SECONDARY
Carpentry
Gold Josh Belkin (NLC)
Silver Johnathan Neale (NLC)
Bronze Hendrick Lankers (NLC)
Culinary Arts
Gold Terry Ahern
Silver Laura Lambert
Bronze Cyndy Whitford
Hairdressing
Gold Bobbie Evrall (FNSS)
Silver Holly Newhook (NPSS)
NOMINATED COMPETITORS FOR PROVINCIALS
Secondary
Electrical Wiring
Robby McMullin (Post-Secondary)
Industrial Mechanic (Millwright)
Brandon Kowalski (Post-Secondary)
Plumber
Sterling Nelson (Post-Secondary)
