In the competition, students in skilled and technical education science contests work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. The philosophy of the championships is to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and to keep training relevant to employers' needs.
More than 1,500 students competed in the event.
Northeast took the top three positions in the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) competition. James Buresh, David City, was named 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champion while Marcus Holmberg, Columbus, placed second, and Calen Storjohn, Norfolk, was third.
In Architectural Drafting, Bethany Nelson, Norfolk, was named the 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champion while Tyler Bailey, Norfolk, was second.
Northeast students also placed in the Internetworking and Computer Programming competitions. Jacob Lockee, Pierce, earned the 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champion title, while Christopher Gerdes, McLean, took second in the Internetworking contest. Gregory Kosmacek, Stanton, was named the 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champion in computer programming; Abdirahman Jama, South Sioux City, was second.
In News Broadcasting, the team of Timothy Johnson, Norfolk, Marissa Lute, Laurel, Dustyn Stortzum, Silver Creek, and Dustin Van Zee, Sioux Falls, SD, was named the 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champions. The team of Adam Christen, Anselmo, Kallie Hanson, Yankton, SD, Megan Kass, Scotland, SD, and Tanner Schafer, Norfolk, took second place.
In Diesel Equipment Technology, Morgan Barnes, Cody, earned 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champion honors. Chase Orender, Columbus, and Bo Jensen, Atkinson, were named 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champions in Sheet Metal and Auto Refinishing, respectively.
In Robotics, the team of Calvin Craig, Norfolk, and Dylan Kudera, Norfolk, earned 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champion honors.
A number of Northeast students placed highly in other competitions. Chris Mimick, Tilden, took second in Job Skill Demonstration, while Garrett Korthals, Norfolk, earned second in the Criminal Justice competition. Robert Haas, Canby, MN, took third in Carpentry, and Lucas Kleinschmidt, Fordyce, claimed third in the Welding competition.
Fourteen Northeast instructors - Paul Bailey and John Nelson (HVAC), Doug McKibbon and Tony Milenkovich (diesel), Ryan Hobza (carpentry), Michael Holcomb (drafting), Richard Chrisman (computer programming and robotics), Dave Beaudette and Tom Hoile (auto body), John Knapp and Michael McCarthy (welding), Brian Anderson (broadcasting), Matt McCarthy (criminal justice) and Brad Vogt (information technology), attended the competition as advisors.
As state champions, Barnes, Buresh, Craig, Jensen, Johnson, Kosmacek, Kudera, Lockee, Lute, Nelson, Orender, Sturtzum and Van Zee qualified for the SkillsUSA National Championships, in Louisville, KY, June 19-23. More than 16,000 people, including students, teachers and business partners are expected to participate in the weeklong event.
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PHOTO CUTLINE
Northeast Community College took the top three positions in the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) competition at the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference recently. James Buresh (center), David City, was named 2017 Nebraska State SkillsUSA Champion while Marcus Holmberg (left), Columbus, placed second, and Calen Storjohn (right), Norfolk, was third. (Courtesy Northeast Community College)