After winning gold medals in the state SkillsUSA competition, 20 students from the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center (WACTC) are determined to win gold again. Later this month they will travel to Kentucky to compete in the SkillsUSA national championships.

A student from almost every program at the center, ranging from carpentry to marine technology will fly to Louisville to compete in national championships from June 19 to June 25. More than 6,000 students from across the country will compete in 100 different skills.

This year’s competing WACTC students are Anthony Tuttle (Architectural Drafting), Joel Cullen (Automotive Service Technology), Ian Cullen (Cabinetmaking), Brandon Major (Carpentry), Mackenzie Prescott (Commercial Banking), Michelle Tavares (Computer Inter-Networking Technology), Joseph Burgio (Computer Maintenance), Brian Lagergren (Marine Technology), Katie Morrison (Esthetics) and Ashley Howard (Esthetics - Model).

Also competing are Brittany Ayotte (First Aid), Mary Beebe and Mario Santos (Promotional Bulletin Board), Nicholas Horne, Jacob Mossman, Micheal Tetreault, and Sean Vittum (Teamworks), Mossimo Leone (Technical Drafting) and Jason Valdes (Related Technical Math). Skye Whelpley will also attend the conference for her winning state pin design and Anthony Oliver will attend training sessions to become a SkillsUSA state officer. Four teacher chaperones will accompany the students.

“I think it’s great,” said WACTC director William McCaffrey. “The kids are going to be competing at the national level and it shows that what happens in the classroom is positive.”

WACTC has consistently sent students to the national competition. Last year, two WACTC students won silver medals and McCaffrey is hopeful for more success this year. The top three competitors in each skill are awarded prizes such as scholarship money and trade tools from sponsor companies. All competitors receive gifts related to their trade, like Lowe’s gift cards or computer accessories.

The cost to send all 20 students to Kentucky is almost $30,000. To raise the funds, WACTC organized events such as a candle sale, a SkillsUSA breakfast, and a spring golf tournament. Students were active in the fundraising efforts, asking businesses to donate money in return for advertisements at the golf tournament and selling tickets to the breakfast. The cosmetology class also held a salon night and put the money earned toward the trip.

“I learned that the money isn’t being pulled out of nowhere,” said Katie Morrison, the state gold medallist in esthetics, a specialization in skin and hair care. “I had to work for it.”

The outstanding cost for each student is $800, but financial help is available and every student will be able to participate, according to McCaffrey.

To prepare for the contests, many faculty members used unpaid after-school hours to help students train. Morrison practices at the center by pretending it is competition day. Her cosmetology instructors time her and watch for the same technicalities as the panel judges: no talking, sanitized hands, clean makeup applicators, and no sheets touching the ground during the facial treatment. The chaperones also support the students as they prepare to travel to Kentucky. Eva Niosi, a teacher in the culinary program at WACTC, reminded students that every one of them would receive a call from her the day before the flight. She also urged students to come to her if they need help getting any of their required equipment. SkillsUSA only provides tools to the Teamworks competition, which is a construction project involving carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and electricity. Although a WACTC team won the state teamworks contest, the center does not have masonry or plumbing programs. These were skills that Nicholas Horne, Jacob Mossman, Micheal Tetreault and Sean Vittum had to learn on their own, in addition to the standard curriculum at the center. Vittum competed in the 2015 nationals and feels prepared to win the gold this year.

While faculty members help students train, travel arrangements and hotel stays are handled by Joshua Klemp, the state director of SkillsUSA. He also makes sure students are aware of the regulations for each national contest and is confident that they are prepared.

“These students are representing Rhode Island and they are in the top 50 in the country right now,” Klemp said. “Last year we had 20 medallists and that was the best we’ve ever done. I have a good feeling about the group this year.”

The trip to Kentucky will be a chance for WACTC students to showcase their skills on a national stage, but they will also squeeze in some time for fun. Some students want to watch the Paw Sox play in Louisville on June 19, while others are excited to visit museums or the nearby amusement park. Brian Vadeboncoeur, a SkillsUSA advisor at WACTC who has taken students to nationals for more than a decade, also wants this year’s competitors to enjoy the experience. During the opening ceremony pin exchange, Vadeboncoeur hopes students will have fun handing out their Rhode Island pins to students from around the country. One year, a Warwick student received a cowboy hat from Texas in return for his pin. Win or lose, the trip will be a success for WACTC.

“For some students, it’s the first time they’ve been on a plane, let alone competed in nationals,” said Vadeboncoeur. “With that experience, getting to travel, they’ve already won the gold.”