Activities / SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA Is Changing Lives!
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry leaders working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce today and into the future. Originally founded in 1965 as Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA), SkillsUSA is a national organization that empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible citizens.

SkillsUSA helps students excel. With a nationwide network of members to bond with, our students develop their self-confidence, work attitude, and communication skills through leadership, teamwork, and community service. While competing at the district, state, and national level in their technical areas, our students discover and grow their career passions and learn to value their own self-worth.

Do you want to be more involved with SkillsUSA and take part in their educational programs, events, or competitions? Check out the following conferences:

SkillsUSA Massachusetts District V Leadership Conference
Our students are honored to compete among the states' most talented vocational-technical students in the annual SkillsUSA competitions. The 2022 season of events starts at BVT on Wednesday, March 16th with the SkillsUSA District V Competition via online testing.

SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conference

Those students skilled enough to win at the district level will then compete at the SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conference Championships: The Leadership Events on April 14th at the Best Western in Marlborough, and the hands-on competitions are on Friday, April 29th at BVT. There are no outside visitors allowed during the live competition on the 29th. There will be an awards ceremony on May 13th at the Best Western in Marlborough. The competitions and awards ceremony is closed to the public.

SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference
In 2022, competitions will be held from June 20th – 25th at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Champions from all over the US will have an opportunity to participate in the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference and compete in events featuring competitions, national officer elections, and business and industry partners and sponsors.

66 Medals at SkillsUSA States
Our students tested their vocational-technical competency at the SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conference Championships. Demonstrating skills learned at Blackstone Valley Tech and applied during the competitions, our students won an impressive 66 medals – 29 gold, 27 silver, and 10 bronze. Congratulations!

We had four National Voting Delegates elected during the State competition and State Officer Elect Hunter Claflin running for National Office. The second stage of the SkillsUSA series had students competing on April 14th and 29th.

Following their outstanding performance, BVT's gold medalists will represent the Commonwealth by competing at the National Leadership & Skills Conference Championships held in Atlanta, Georgia, in June.

The following students, organized by hometown, earned gold, silver, and bronze medals at the SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conference:

Bellingham
Gold: Sara Lewis, Principles of Technology

Silver: Aiden Cohen, Major Appliance Technology

Bronze: Pyper Bourre, Health Knowledge Bowl

Blackstone
National Voting Delegate: Haley McKinnon

Gold: Allana Atstupenas, CNC Turning Specialist; Daniel Cardone, Web Design; Andrew Konicki, Entrepreneurship; Haley McKinnon, Sticker Design; and Kyle Penta, Entrepreneurship

Silver: Kendra Atstupenas, Collision Repair Technology; Evan Bouvier, Photography; Nate Cook, Exploratory Project Demonstration; and Mandolin Simpson, Career Pathways Showcase

Bronze: Alexander Mezzadri, Major Appliance Technology

Douglas
State Officer Elect/National Officer Candidate: Hunter Claflin

Gold: John Kearney, Additive Manufacturing; Sophia Payson, Welding; Brett Staples, Web Design; Chloe Vescio, Additive Manufacturing; and Bryan Wheeler, Robotics and Automation Tech

Silver: Guenevere Payne, Precision Laser Imaging; and Julia White, Esthetics

Grafton
Silver: Stephen Bayreuther, Mechatronics; Baraka Consuegra, Mechatronics; Noah Mariano, Related Technical Math; Owen Mathieu, HVAC/R; Maggie McCann, Career Pathways Showcase; Noelle McDonald, Carpentry; and Nicholas Valoras, Principles of Technology

Bronze: Caitlin Brown, Job Interview

Hopedale
National Voting Delegate: Camila Ramirez

Silver: Josh Maillet, Diesel Equipment Technology

Bronze: Ashlyn Leonard, Health Knowledge Bowl; Hayle Ortla, Nurse Assisting; and Eleanor Poitras, Health Knowledge Bowl

Mendon
National Voting Delegate: Samantha Stephens

Gold: Naomi Tsuda, Commercial Baking

Bronze: Joshua Blalock, Diesel Equipment Technology

Milford
Silver: Mayra Desousa, First Aid/CPR; and Igor Freeman, Additive Manufacturing

Bronze: Morgan Allemao, Commercial Baking; and Joel Awuku-Asante, HVAC/R

Millbury
Gold: Julia Drapeau, Health Occupations Portfolio; and Gianna Konisky, Safety Poster Design Team

Silver: Julia Allain, Medical Math; and Jenna Kenary, Promotional Bulletin Board

Bronze: Nicole Boucher, Health Knowledge Bowl

Millville
Gold: Myra Dehestani, Prepared Speech; and Natalie Lambert, Culinary Arts

Northbridge
Gold: Emily Wildfeuer, Architectural Drafting

Silver: Riley Driver, Industrial Motor Control; and Bianca Silveira, Promotional Bulletin Board

Sutton
Gold: *Benjamin Judson, Automotive Refinishing Technology; Samuel Judson, Technical Drafting; and Samuel Powers, Entrepreneurship
*Benjamin has been invited to compete in the 2023 Worlds Skills Competition in France

Silver: Brenna Kehowski, Medical Terminology

Upton
Gold: Katelyn Steele, Related Technical Math; and Chloe Terrell, Entrepreneurship

Uxbridge
National Voting Delegate: Mia Bellacqua

Gold: Kali Bly, Cosmetology (Under 500 Hours); Isabel Cahill, Photography; Autumn Herrick, Telecommunications Cabling; Riley Holt, Mechatronics; Robert Mellen, Mechatronics; Adam Pratt, Robotics and Automation Tech; and Stephanie Zaitoun, Safety Poster Design Team

Silver: Amanda Brochu, Precision Laser Imaging; Nolan Holt, Culinary Arts; Makaylah Holzman, Additive Manufacturing; Abigail Manuels, Promotional Bulletin Board; and Grace Mathieu, Career Pathways Showcase

SkillsUSA Chapter Meetings

Join us for our monthly chapter
meetings by reaching out to an advisor
for more information and the Zoom link.

Chapter Advisors:
Becky Corda
Kathleen Manoogian
Rob Jordan

All are welcome to attend!

GOLD MEDAL DESIGN!
Congratulations to Haley McKinnon,
a freshman in Multimedia Communications,
for scoring GOLD in the SkillsUSA
Sticker Design Contest at the
State Competition this year.