115 Amesbury Line Road
Haverhill, MA 01830
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: jessica@jgpr.net
Whittier Tech Students Place in State SkillsUSA Competition
HAVERHILL — Whitter Tech students shined at this year’s statewide SkillsUSA competition, bringing home 14 gold, six silver and six bronze medals.
Also, for the first time in Whittier’s history, a student has been elected as a state officer. Lauren Fitzgerald, a sophomore studying health occupations from Salisbury, earned a spot on the SkillsUSA 2018-19 State Executive Council.
The gold medalists will advance to the national competition on June 25-30 in Louisville, Kentucky. Students were recognized for their accomplishments at Whittier’s annual Advisory Board dinner on May 3, where more than 200 industry and business leaders were in attendance.
“I don’t know if it can get any better than this,” said Whittier’s SkillsUSA Co-adviser Jane Moskevitz. “This is what Whittier is really all about. Our students shined and it was just awesome. They’ve all been working diligently since last year at this. My hope is that this level of success inspires more underclassmen to get involved.”
Ninety-two Whittier students attended the three-day event with 3,000 participants, the largest educational gathering in the state, hosted at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center.
After completing presentations, students were grilled by judges and confidently answered questions about their vocational-technical educations and the impact their careers would have on their communities.
“It was truly a testimony to how hard work really pays off,” Moskevitz said. “I am grateful to the many staff members who helped prepare our students, and my co-adviser Bruce Boisselle for his assistance throughout the event.”
Among the big winners were health occupations students who created a “Music and Memory” program to benefit dementia patients at area nursing homes, CAD students who designed Whittier’s new Allied Health Center and culinary arts students who created “The Energizer” food truck.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of vocational-technical and career students, teachers and industry leaders who work together to promote and ensure a skilled workforce in the U.S. More than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members are enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.
Whittier’s student medalists are:
GOLD
- Senior Nicholas Hardy, Georgetown – Collision Repair
- Senior Samuel Brindle, Merrimac – CNC Technician
- Junior Kaitlyn Cook, Haverhill; Junior Ethan Rousseau, Haverhill; Junior Adam Bellville, Haverhill – Chapter Display
- Junior Allasandra Thompson, Haverhill; Junior Emily Shal, Amesbury; Junior Larissa Havey, Amesbury – Career Pathways Showcase – Health Services Cluster
- Senior Tyler Paolucci, Georgetown; Senior Jacklyn Verrette, Haverhill; Senior Mackenzie Maguire, Merrimac – Career Pathways Showcase – Industrial & Engineering Technology Cluster
- Senior Caroline Hailson, Haverhill; Senior Logan Slevoski, Georgetown; Senior Makayla Larochelle, Methuen – Career Pathways Showcase – Natural Resources/Agriculture/ Food Cluster
SILVER
- Junior Sarah Cote, Haverhill; Junior Melisa Cepeda, Haverhill; Junior Ashley Greene, Salisbury – Career Pathways Showcase – Human Services Cluster
- Senior Macy Joubert, Salisbury; Senior Elizabeth Jarmolowicz, Amesbury; Senior Nathaniel Bacon, Haverhill – Career Pathways Showcase – Arts Communication Cluster
BRONZE
- Senior Michael McAuliffe, Haverhill; Senior Andrew Buzzell, Merrimac; Senior Thomas Tanzella, West Newbury; Senior Sean Putnam, Ipswich – Team Build
- Senior Phillip Colladay, Ipswich; Senior Patrick Greenler, Georgetown – Urban Search & Rescue
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