SkillsUSA championsWINTER 2012 insider’s guide what you need to compete premiering our new PSA Washington leadership training winning medals while landing a top-flight job Going for the Gold? Expert Contest Tips FIERCELY MADE IN MEADVILLE, PA. ® 1080 steel makes it a strong plier. Laser-hardening makes it a tough plier. George Cornell makes it a Channellock plier. ® Its laser-hardened teeth are set at a direct 90° angle, so it grips tight in either direction. Our undercut channels adjust easily and don’t slip, so you can quickly and safely get on with it. And North American-made, high-carbon steel means ® Theit’s offi 420cially notTongue messing around. and GrooveIt’s time you Plier. owned a CHANNELLOCK tool. © 2011 CHANNELLOCK, Inc. Meadville, PA 16335 www.channellock.com RED, WHITE AND CHANNELLOCK BLUE® SWEEPSTAKES Enter to win this 5-piece Channellock® Tool Roll at www.ChannellockSweepstakes.com SkillsUSA champions SkillsUSA’s Official Magazine bOarD Of DirectOrS SkillsUSA champions online 14001 SkillsUSA Way, Leesburg, VA 20176-5494 Russ Hoffbauer (State Farm Insurance Companies) (Tennessee) 703-777-8810 • www.skillsusa.org James King Visit the SkillsUSA Champions “e-zine” version (Snap-on Inc.) Greg Rintala at www.skillsusa.org/champions/ to flip through (Minnesota) Magazine Staff/Office Of PublicatiOnS Marlys Bucher articles, view videos and extra photos and get Director (Wisconsin) Tom Hall, Brent Kindred updates. You’ll find archives of past issues, adver- Associate Director, Communications (Utah) Ann Schreiber, Dave Milliken tiser links, lesson plans for new issues, and more. Craig Moore, Manager, Web/Technology Gerald Tylka (Pennsylvania) Manager, Audiovisual Technology/ (SkillsUSA State Directors Association) Tom Kercheval, Mike Cowles See even more champions on our frequently Communications (Association for Career and Technical Jeff Johnson updated website, www.skillsusa.org, as well as: Education) Office Of the executive DirectOr Kathryn Jo Mannes (American Association of Tim Lawrence, Executive Director Community Colleges) Sandra Moore, Administrative Assistant Mark Williams (National Association of State Direc- tors of Career and Technical Education Consortium) (Caterpillar University) aDMiniStratiOn anD finance Chris Arvin Volume 46, No. 2 Kim Graham, Director Nick Mastrone (Irwin Industrial Tools) SkillsUSA Champions (ISSN 1040-4538) is published four Keith Ashby, Manager, Literature Services/National Joe Pietrantonio (Air Products) times per school year — Fall (October/November), Winter Center Robert Wagner (Lowe’s Companies Inc.) (December/January), Spring (February/March) and Summer Melissa Wilson, Manager, Human Resources (April/ May) — by SkillsUSA Inc. at 14001 SkillsUSA Way, Roxanne Hodge, Customer Service Representative natiOnal StuDent OfficerS/aDviSOrS Leesburg, VA 20176. Periodicals postage paid at Leesburg, VA, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2012 by SkillsUSA. HigH ScHool All rights reserved. Nonmember subscriptions: $15 per year uSineSS anD nDuStry artnerShiPS (Massachusetts) b i P Victoria Holbert/Anne Marie Cataldo (SkillsUSA members, $1.30 paid with dues or affiliation fees). Eric Gearhart, Director, Development and Research Karmen Ayres/Chuck Veloni (Washington) Chris Powell, Senior Development Officer C.J. DeHart/Vicky Tarver (Texas) POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to SkillsUSA Champions, Dave Worden, Program Director, SkillsUSA Emad Madha/Robyn Szymanski (New Jersey) Attn.: Judy Garrison, 14001 SkillsUSA Way, Leesburg, VA 20176. Championships Caleb Houston/Carrie Frandoni (Ohio) Jim Kregiel, Program Manager, SkillsUSA Elena Melekos/Ralph Starace (New Jersey) The names SkillsUSA, SkillsUSA Championships and SkillsUSA Championships Diego Carvallo/Thomas Washburn (Georgia) Champions; the SkillsUSA: Champions at Work slogan; and the Karen Beatty, Program Manager Kathryn Berry/Rick Roberts (Ohio) SkillsUSA logo, emblem and slogan art are all registered trade- marks of SkillsUSA Inc. All rights are reserved, and permission Marco Cavazos/Rolando Izeta (Texas) (Idaho) must be granted by the national headquarters of SkillsUSA cOMMunicatiOnS anD gOvernMent relatiOnS Christi Durham/Cheryl Deitchler prior to any use. Tom Holdsworth, Associate Executive Director Jane Short, Program Manager college/PoStSecondary In keeping with a tradition of respect for the individuality Chance Litwin/Lisa Bruce (Alabama) of our members and our role in workforce development, eDucatiOn, training anD aSSeSSMentS Jeremy Ballentine/Michael Chandlee (Tennessee) SkillsUSA strives to Marsha Daves, Director Veronica Senkowski/Darin Lackey (Oklahoma) ensure inclusive partic- Heidi Ambrose, Program Director, Programs and Stephen Allen/Kim Meeks (Georgia) ipation in all of our pro- grams, partnerships and Grant Management Wade Persson/Merrill Larson (South Dakota) Associate Director, Conference employment opportu- Shelly Coates, nities. Management Services Deborah Kenn Tripp, Associate Director, Training Niki Clausen, Coordinator, Alumni Development Stephanie Bland, Program Specialist Ashley Ridgeway, Program Specialist, Conference U.S. Postal Service Statement of ownership, management and circulation (Required by 39 USc 3685) Management Services Publication Title: SkillsUSA Champions. Publication No.: 1040-4538. age, 243,114; issue, 291,046; Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Filing Date: 9/23/11. Issue Frequency: Fall (October/November), Win- Stated on PS Form 3541: average, none; issue, none; Paid Distribu- Marketing, MeMberShiP anD SaleS ter (December/January), Spring (February/March), Summer (April/ tion Outside the Mail Including Sales Through Dealers and Carri- Kelly Horton, Director May). No. of Issues Published Annually: four. Annual Subscription ers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and Other Paid Distribution Out- Judy Garrison, Senior Manager, Membership Services Price: $1.30 for SkillsUSA members as part of dues; $15 per year for side USPS: average, none; issue, none; Paid Distribution by Other Susan Trent, Program Manager, Member Services nonmembers. Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail): average, Patty Duncan, Program Specialist, Work Force Ready 14001 SkillsUSA Way, Leesburg, VA 20176-5494 (Loudoun County). none; issue, none. Total Paid Distribution: average, 243,114; issue, System and Member Services Contact Person: E. Thomas Hall, 703-777-8810, Ext. 626. Mailing 291,046. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution — Free or Nominal Rate Address of Headquarters: same. Publisher: SkillsUSA Inc., same Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: average, 2,491; address. Editor: E. Thomas Hall, same address. Owner: SkillsUSA Inc., issue, 2,872; Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS kanSaS city Office • 816-691-3827 14001 SkillsUSA Way, Leesburg, VA 20176. Known Bondholders, Form 3541: average, none; issue, none; Free or Nominal Rate Copies Byekwaso Gilbert, SkillsUSA Program Manager Mortgagees and Other Security Holders: none. The purpose, func- Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail): tion and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt average, none; issue, none. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Out- aDvertiSing rePreSentativeS fOr SkillSuSa chaMPiOnS status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during side the Mail: average, none; issue, none. Total Free or Nominal Constellation Enterprises Inc. the preceding 12 months. Issue Date for Circulation Data: Fall 2011. Rate Distribution: average, 2,491; issue, 2,872. Total Distribution: 53 Main St./P.O. Box 508 Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue average, 245,605; issue, 293,918. Copies Not Distributed: average, Single Issue Cherry Valley, NY 13320 During Preceding 12 Months, 247,250; No. Copies of Pub- 1,645; issue, 2,082. Total: average, 247,250; issue, 296,000. Percent lished Nearest to Filing Date, 296,000. Paid Circulation — Mailed Paid: average, 99%; issue, 99%. I certify that all information fur- 607-264-9069 Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: aver- nished on this form is true and complete. E. Thomas Hall, Editor. 4 SkillsUSA Champions Winter 2012 asktim A Global Gold Standard Executive Director Tim Lawrence has known SkillsUSA as a student member, instructor, industry partner and state director. Got a question? He can help. & How can I make sureQ my skills industry partnersA who design and manage Q: compare to the best in the world? each event — as well as Tyler Brown, a Tim: Just a few weeks ago, 17 SkillsUSA competitor with multiple medals. It’s also students were competing on the world very important to study the SkillsUSA stage. Accompanied by four of our Championships Technical Standards. If you national officers, they were in London can demonstrate the skills within the stan- for the intense, four-day WorldSkills dards, you can be successful. Finally, this Competition. SkillsUSA’s WorldTeam simple advice still works for most winners: represented their country extremely well, practice, practice, practice. earning four international honors. I’m Over the first six months of 2012, thou- proud of the entire team’s passion, profes- sands of gold, silver and bronze medals sionalism and strong competitive spirit. will be presented to SkillsUSA champions As I heard from many of its members, in every state and in three U.S. territories. “You never know how far SkillsUSA and Our medals are unique, but have you ever our competitions can take you.” looked closely at one of them?