To cap off the 2023-24 school year, BOCES 2 Career and Technical Education was represented at the national level in Atlanta during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Eight students competed in six different competitions and an additional two students participated in leadership activities.
The group is seen here in front of the Olympic Rings outside of Centennial Park in Atlanta right before the Champions Festival. Top, left to right: HVAC/Plumbing student Jordan Fleischer (Lake Ontario Baptist Academy); Instructional Specialist Melissa Doherty; Dental Assisting teacher and SkillsUSA Lead Advisor Jennifer Probst; Medical Laboratory Assisting and Phlebotomy teacher Jim Payne; Medical Laboratory Assisting and Phlebotomy student Payal Gajmer (Churchville-Chili); Carpentry teacher Kyle Canfield; HVAC/Plumbing teacher Dominic Corona; HVAC/Plumbing student Owen Donovan (Brockport). Front, left to right: Food Services student Caleb Armour (Spencerport); Carpentry student Kyle Battaglia (Spencerport); Medical Laboratory Assisting and Phlebotomy students Selki Wilson (Spencerport) and Savannah Wehner (Spencerport); Dental Assisting student Briana Lewis (Brockport); Carpentry students Andrew Shurina (Churchville-Chili) and Joshua Ortiz (Spencerport).
HVAC/Plumbing student Owen Donovan (Brockport) punched his ticket to the national stage after a first-place finish at the state level. Donovan is seen here during the Plumbing competition held at the Georgia World Congress Center.
There's no brushing off the skills of Dental Assisting student Briana Lewis (Brockport). Lewis competed at the national level for the second year after back-to-back titles at the state level.
HVAC/Plumbing student Jordan Fleischer competed at the top level in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration competition in Atlanta.
Carpentry students Kyle Battaglia (Spencerport), Joshua Ortiz (Spencerport) and Andrew Shurina (Churchville-Chili) teamed up in the Occupational Health and Safety competition in Atlanta. The event consisted of multiple parts including building a portfolio and participating in a closed-door interview.
Food Services student Caleb Armour (Spencerport) represented himself and partner Kamlya Rosa-Padilla (Greece) in Atlanta during the Community Action Basic competition. Armour brought the pair's portfolio for display and discussed the project behind closed doors with a panel of judges.
The festivities kicked off with the Opening Ceremonies, held in State Farm Arena including officer introductions, a performance by the Atlanta Drum Company and Emmy-award-winning journalist Cory James capping off the opening events by telling his journey from SkillsUSA competitor to news anchor.