On March 22, students from the SkillsUSA organization traveled to Atlanta to compete in different state level competitions. Some students competed individually, and some worked together in teams. There was a wide variety of competitions offered there. From carpentry to animation, from firefighting to prepared speech, the range was huge. Some were academically-geared, some were hands-on, and some were artistically-based, making it so anyone can find a skill that suits the type of person they are.

Heritage had students participate and win in a variety of competitions. Ellen Tyrell won first in T-Shirt Design, and Caleb Buckler won first in Pin Design. Dylan Perry was second in Technical Drafting. Caleb Atkins, Patrick Redman, and Simon Rhodes came in second with their Skills Commercial. Caleb Atkins and Patrick Redman scored another second place in the ESE Video Challenge, this time working with Gracen Shook. Both Ryan Mattox and Garrett Aaron finished third in their respective categories, Architectural Drafting for Mattox and Photography for Aaron. Congratulations to everyone who went!

It’s wonderful that Heritage did so well; however, many of those who competed are graduating seniors. Our SkillsUSA organization is losing a lot of good members, including consecutive winners like Caleb Buckler and Patrick Redman. If you have any interests in some of the things SkillsUSA offers, go and see Mrs. Byrd or the other career technical teachers in the school to sign up. SkillsUSA needs new faces for the next year, and who knows – you may be the next Georgia state champion in your skill group.