LAKEWOOD — Peninsula students put their best foot forward at last month’s state SkillsUSA contest, including two students who won gold and advanced to nationals later this school year.

Nearly two dozen Ilwaco High School students made the trek to the Seattle metropolitan area for this year’s state conference, with competitions taking place at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood on March 28 and 29. The 23 students competed in 12 different contests, with six students placing in the top three and earning medals.

Hightower and Reddy

Two seniors, Hailey Hightower and Ciara Reddy, won their respective contests and will fly to Atlanta in June to compete in SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference. Hightower finished first in the state in graphic imaging-sublimation for the second straight year, while Reddy won in the screen printing contest.

Sophomore Elizabeth Naicavacava finished right behind Hightower in second place in graphic imaging-sublimation. In this contest, students were tested on their ability to design, print, transfer and understand the dye sublimation process to decorate various materials, such as drinkware, mouse pads, license plates, t-shirts, cutting boards, ceramic tiles, slates and more.

Reddy was joined on the podium for the screen printing contest by freshman Mason Humphreys, who took home the bronze. Competitors were evaluated on their ability to prepare screens (coat, expose, etc.), register a multi-color design on a manual printing press, and print a multi-color design on a manual printing press. They also completed a written technical knowledge test and participated in an oral professional assessment.

More winners

Other placers for IHS were Guineverre Reese, who finished second in T-shirt design, and senior Evan Stringer, who earned the bronze medal in plumbing. Competitors in the T-shirt design contest were assessed on their ability to design and produce a shirt for SkillsUSA Washington. In the plumbing contest, students rough-in hot and cold-water lines with copper tubing and rough-in sanitary drainage, waste and vent lines with cast iron and PVC plastic for a water closet, a lavatory, a washer box and a floor drain.

Other students finished just shy of the podium, including junior Keith Clarson, who finished fourth in electrical construction wiring — including a nearly perfect score in his on-site work — while Humphreys finished eighth out of 22 competitors. Flynn Hildebrandt placed fourth in plumbing and Liam Taft finished fifth going up against stiff competition.

While most competitions did not allow spectators, IHS coaching advisors Stephen Blasko, Andrew Goodwin and Diana Vasquez were on hand to cheer on the students.

During the March 27 opening ceremony, students were encouraged to participate positively. The running themes of SkillsUSA, which center around the belief that specialized and skilled trades are critical to a thriving economy and students’ success in the future, were also reinforced.

Founded in 1965, SkillsUSA is a CTE organization that serves about 400,000 students in middle school, high school and college across the country, as well as professional members enrolled in training programs.

“We are actively looking for ways to expand our SkillsUSA participation both in numbers and in competitions,” said IHS Dean of Students and CTE Director Jackie Hofer. “Students can compete at the state level in one technical contest paired with one leadership or job skills contest. We hope to encourage students to access contests like job interviews, customer service and other related skills that serve them well in any future career path.”

The trip also included a visit to the state capitol in Olympia, where the students received a tour as well as “mini-lessons” in civics from Hofer and tour guides.

“Most students had never been to the state capitol building and were interested in learning how work is done there, as the legislature was in session when we visited,” said Hofer.