The SkillsUSA Chapter at the BOCES 2 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center at WEMOCO has received the Gold Chapter of Distinction award in the Chapter Excellence Program. To earn this honor, the chapter had to document numerous criteria detailing the chapter’s activities, which included completing a budget, creating a Program of Work calendar and teaching the SkillsUSA framework. The framework encompasses career-ready skills grounded in technical, workplace and personal skills that are linked to employability.  

“The criteria of the Chapter Excellence Program has helped me learn to better lead and serve my community,” said senior SkillsUSA President Lauren Dauphinee (Criminal Justice, Greece).“My favorite project was being able to make and deliver care packages to local law enforcement.”  

SkillsUSA members at WEMOCO enter competitions for their respective program’s skills, and they also participate in professional development activities and community service. WEMOCO had 131 SkillsUSA members participating during the 2020-21 school year.

“Earning this award and completing all of the Chapter Excellence activities has helped me learn the SkillsUSA Framework to help me succeed in my future career in law enforcement,” said senior SkillsUSA Parliamentarian Erin Kuhn (Criminal Justice, Churchville-Chili).

As part of the Chapter Excellence Program application process, students had to plan and carry out several activities and document them as SMART goals. Main activities students organized and highlighted in their application included:  

“We are beyond excited for students, faculty and staff to earn this recognition,” said SkillsUSA Co-Lead Advisor Brandilyn Steves. “In a year where we weren’t sure how much we could feasibly do, if anything, WEMOCO’s SkillsUSA chapter showed that there is nothing that will stand in the way of true leadership.”  

Each professional member received a Gold Chapter of Distinction banner for their classroom or office, as well as a Gold Chapter of Distinction pin.