GEARY – The Geary chapter of national CareerTech organization SkillsUSA continues to punch above its weight, as several Geary students took home medals in the group’s national competition earlier this summer.
The winners were announced during a virtual ceremony last Thursday, June 24. Students from Geary and across the country tuned in with live video feeds and were broadcast to viewers nationwide when their results were announced.
Geary’s SkillsUSA national awards included:
• Tucker Hicks—Gold Medal, Customer Service
• Connor Bernhardt—Gold Medal, Outstanding Chapter
• Aubrey Lawson—Gold Medal, Outstanding Chapter
• Hollis Harrall & Donnie Spottedcorn—Gold Medal, Outstanding Chapter
• Hollis Harrall—Bronze Medal, Job Skill Demonstration A
Spottedcorn, Elliott Harrall, Michael Blackcrow, and Hicks all placed inside the national top 10 in other competitions.
After the ceremony, Geary SkillsUSA instructor Cody McPherson said he is “truly proud of each and every one of these kids.”
“I will tell you, it is harder to win a medal in this virtual contest than it could ever be to win it in person,” McPherson said. The SkillsUSA competitions and awards were held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which completely canceled the competition in spring 2020. The competition is slated to begin in-person events again during the 2021-2022 school year.
“Four national championships today, and one bronze, is absolutely amazing,” McPherson said. “These were kids from all over the United States, from Maine to California, so it’s really an awesome experience. The kids are the ones who did the work. I always say, I’m just the advisor and I drive the bus. But I couldn’t be more proud of them for doing this.”
Hicks, who graduated this spring, said SkillsUSA has taught him lessons that will help him for the rest of his life. His gold medal-winning Customer Service competition involved a role-playing scenario where he helped solve customers’ problems as a hotel manager.
“It’s just a lot of everyday stuff that you’re going to use throughout your life,” Hicks said. “Learning about stuff you’re going to use no matter where you go.”
“Just dealing with those problems in a professional manner is a lot of what SkillsUSA taught me,” he said. “There’s been a lot of fun times along the way, and friends that will last a lifetime.”
The Geary Middle School students who participated, like Spottedcorn and Bernhardt, said they intend to continue with SkillsUSA throughout their high school careers and hopefully bring home more medals to the Geary chapter. McPherson said he is looking forward to working with the chapter’s up-and-coming stars.