Each year a group of Career & Technical students from KEC compete in local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills.

			What is Skills-USA?

Skills-USA is a national organization serving more than 250,000 high school and college students and professional members who are enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations.

			What are the benefits of Skills-USA?

Skills-USA prepares America's high performance workers. It provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills. It emphasizes total quality at work, high ethical standards, superior work skills, life-long education and pride in the dignity of work. Skills-USA also promotes understanding of the free enterprise system and involvement in community service activities.

			Results of the 2008 National Competition

Students from Kishwaukee Education Consortium completed in the National SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Comptetion in Kansas City, MO June 23-28. In order to qualify for the national competition students had to earn first place honors at the state competition in April in Springfield. KEC had six students travel to Nationals this year. Nicole Carpenter, a senior from Sycamore, competed in Medical Math and took 9th place. Joe Jacober, a senior from G-K, took 11th in Fire Fighting and the Health Knowledge Bowl team of Kaitlyn Youn, Kali Meyer, Bailey Curran all seniors from Sycamore, and Lindsey Hawkins, a senior from G-K, earned 13th place.

			Results of the 2008 Illinois Association Competition

Kishwaukee Education Consortium is proud to recognize several area high school students for participating in the Illinois Association of SkillsUSA annual Leadership and Skills Conference April 17-19 in Springfield.

Health Occupations students Bailey Curran, Kali Meyer and Kaitlyn Young, Sycamore, and Lindsey Hawkins, G-K earned 1st place in the Health Knowledge Bowl with the team of Brianna Brandon, DeKalb, Chelsea Breunlin and Nicole Carpenter, Sycamore earning 2nd place honors.  Nicole Carpenter earned 1st place in Medical Math and Lindsey Hawkins took 7th place in the same contest.  Nurse Assisting students Jennifer Link, Sycamore earned 9th place, Chelsea Breunlin earned 10th, Shelby Gaul, Sycamore took 12th and Brianna Brandon finished 13th out of 30 contestants.

Criminal Justice students Andrew Good, Michael Jacob and Micah Svela, all of Rochelle, earned 5th place honors in the team competition of Crime Scene Investigation.

Graphic Arts students Sean Stevens, Rochelle, earned 1st place honors in Adobe Photoshop Design while Kyle Elliott, Rochelle earned 9th place in Adobe.  Cory Brown, G-K earned 8th place in Architectural Drafting-CAD and Jacob Menges, G-K took 13th in Technical Drafting-CAD.

Fire Fighting students swept the competition with Joe Jacober, G-K earning 1st place, Evan Quinn, Sycamore earning 2nd, Tylor Lampkins, Sycamore 4th, Chase Howe, DeKalb 5th, Courtney Jossendal, DeKalb 6th, Joe Long, DeKalb 8th, Dan Franklin, DeKalb 9th, Emily Baert, G-K 11th, David Fleetwood, Sycamore 12th, Kris Williams, Sycamore 13th, Chris Brandt, Sycamore 15th, Ryan Kirby, Hiawatha 19th, Mae Hogan, Sycamore 21st, and Michael Satterfield, G-K took 25th.

First place winners will represent Illinois in National SkillsUSA in Kansas City, MO this June. 

Information provided by:  

Career Conference/Course Orientations/EIP/Job Shadowing/NTHS/Open House