Riverland fares well at SkillsUSA conference

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, April 23, 2011

Minnesota SkillsUSA State Director Jen Polz presents Tom Wilker, Riverland Carpentry Technology instructor and SkillsUSA Austin chapter advisor, with the 2011 Minnesota SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year award. - Photo provided

Several Riverland Community College SkillsUSA club members captured gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2011 SkillsUSA state Leadership and Skills conference in March at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington.

The competitions focused on technical skill demonstration where students competed with more than 540 college students from 25 campuses in 54 events.

Riverland Carpentry Technology instructor Tom Wilker was named 2011 Advisor of the Year for his work advising the Austin chapter.

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Four Riverland students captured gold medals, which means they move to the national SkillsUSA contest in June.

Students involved in SkillsUSA participate in leadership and skills competitions at local, state and national levels where they build and reinforce technical skills, self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills.

The contests were held in the following nine career and technical education cluster areas: arts and communication; construction; health services; legal and protective services; hospitality; human services, manufacturing; science, engineering and technology; and transportation.

Riverland’s SkillsUSA awards:

Health Occupational Professional Portfolio

Gold Medal: Tara Moen (Minneota), Austin campus

Extemporaneous Speaking

Gold Medal: Samuel Wipplinger (Kiester), Albert Lea campus

Trade Math

Gold Medal: Dean Pecinovsky (Grand Meadow), Albert Lea campus

Medical Terminology

Gold Medal: Robyn Elwood (Rochester), Austin campus

Silver Medal: Haylee Ollendieck (Lime Springs), Austin campus

T-Shirt Design

Silver Medal: Haylee Ollendieck (Lime Springs), Austin campus

Safety

Silver Medal: Andrew Peterson (Racine), Austin campus

Bronze Medal: Travis Cunningham (Austin), Austin campus

Mechatronics

Bronze Medal: Dean Pecinovsky (Grand Meadow) and Shane Roisen (Albert Lea), Albert Lea campus

Automotive Refinishing Technology

Bronze Medal: Mike Holten (Austin), Austin campus

Honorable Mention: Vadym Bezkrovnyi (Austin), Austin campus

Construction Blueprint Reading

Bronze Medal: Rachel Knopps (Blue Earth), Austin campus

Chapter Display

Bronze Medal: Austin campus

Diesel Equipment Technology

Honorable Mention: Bryan Croce (Minnesota Lake), Albert Lea campus