Kewaunee High School takes on SkillsUSA state competition

KEWAUNEE – Randall Charles, Kewaunee High School’s SkillsUSA advisor, technology education instructor and head football coach, led his students to the SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference for the fourth time. Twenty KHS students made the cut across various disciplines, including welding sculpture, team engineering, t-shirt design, CNC milling, woodworking display and electrical construction wiring.

Awards were presented during the closing ceremonies held at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison.

“When they do it at the regional event, they kind of get a better feel for it. So they typically will then put a little bit more time in preparing and making sure all their paperwork and everything is in order, and that they’re a little more prepared for the contest now that they have a better feel for what it all entails,” Charles said.

Student Gage Vlies competed in team engineering, having previously built a model house that could withstand a flood and a tornado. Team engineering provides a unique challenge in that students don’t know what they will be building until they arrive at the state competition, and can only bring a small toolkit with them. However, Vlies said being able to work as a team reduces both the pressure and the workload, as he works alongside teammates who have learned to work on the fly together.

“First we go over what project we’re going to do, and then start to draw a blueprint. And then Wednesday [April 8] is when we’ll actually start building it,” Vlies said.

This year, his team presented a welded stepstool according to specific instructions.

Abigail Shimanek competed in welding sculpture, having previously won three years in a row. Competitors start and finish their project before any of the competitions, presenting it as a completed product with an interview about the process. Shimanek said this type of competition lends itself to her success.
“I feel that it’s more in my hands and that I have control over my time and the product that I’m putting out, and I feel a little bit more organized, knowing that it’s all one done by me, and also that I have my resources at school and that I don’t forget anything or have to worry about what the project is when I get there,” she said.

Shimanek finished in the top 10 this year. As a junior, she plans to compete again next year.

“I think welding will have a lasting impact on me and I’ll do it regardless if I do it as a job, but I’m hoping to make that my career after high school,” Shimanek said.

The Storm’s best finish came from student Natalie Froelich, who took home third place in t-shirt design.