The Delaware Area Career Center staff and students hosted the annual SkillsUSA South Central Regional competition on Friday, March 1st, 2024. The event brought together over 400 students from 17 different high schools, all demonstrating their skills and dedication in a wide range of technical and vocational areas.
The DACC community came out in full force to support this event, with fifty students volunteering to ensure its success and twenty-five competing across various categories. Kelly Kohl, SkillsUSA Advisor, was impressed with the turnout, stating, “It took a lot of people to pull the event together. It’s a two-year commitment, so we are excited to host it again next year.” Her pride in the DACC students was evident as she added, “It’s great to see so many students getting involved, taking on leadership roles, and accepting challenging tasks.”
Jim Gaskill, Principal at the Delaware Area Career Center added, “It's an honor to host this event at DACC, where our vision of empowering, preparing, inspiring, and connecting students to future opportunities is brought to life. Seeing our students not only compete, but take on leadership roles during the competition was truly inspiring. Our kids worked hard to learn, practice and prepare their skills for competition today. Additionally, I am extremely thankful and grateful for our staff for helping to welcome all of the visiting students and staff and making the event a great day for kids.”
Several DACC students took top honors in their categories. Notably, Bryson Curtis and Alexander Korotkin each took home gold in Automotive Refinishing Technology and Collision Repair, respectively. Kemia Jones secured a gold medal in Cosmetology, while the team of David Neverov, Shawn Foley, Augustus Bochenek, and Andrew Hojnacki, also earned gold in TeamWorks, a construction-focused event.
Brandon Schwynn, Contruction Instructor at DACC, coached the TeamWorks group to their gold medal. Schwynn came to DACC as a new instructor in the fall of 2023 with a background in the construction industry and drew from his experience to help his students prepare. “Understanding how different trades work together in the field helped me prepare them for the time constraints. In the end, we were the only team in the state to finish the project under the time limit.”
Neverov added that his team performed better than he expected. “Each school comes to the competition with different strengths and skills. We had no idea what to expect.”
Zoey SanFillipo, a senior representative of both DACC and Delaware Hayes High School, showcased her leadership skills as a SkillsUSA State Officer, in addition to competing in the Crime Scene Investigation category. Reflecting on her involvement, Zoey shared, “I’ve been working with the DACC staff since last year to get ready for the regional competition. Mrs. Kohl and Mr. Gaskill included me in a lot of the meetings and planning, which felt really good because I want to make a difference at DACC."
The spirit of collaboration and mutual support was felt, as highlighted by Ellie Rockwell and Eliza Finleu, Cosmetology juniors who volunteered at the competition. They, along with their fellow students, ensured a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all participants. The event culminated in a closing ceremony that celebrated the diversity and talent of all the young professionals. Ellie summed up the sentiment, saying, “The closing ceremony embodied what it meant to be in SkillsUSA and what it means to have so many students from different backgrounds and beliefs come together to give it their all.”
As our students now prepare for the state competition in Columbus this April, we couldn't be prouder of their achievements and the representation of DACC’s commitment to empowering, preparing, inspiring, and connecting students to future opportunities.
Congratulations to all our competitors and volunteers for showcasing the excellence and community spirit that define DACC. Here’s to continuing to build on this success and looking forward to even greater accomplishments in the future.
Get a full album of photos on our Facebook page here.
Photo Credit: Logan Smutylo, Digital Design junior and Mr. Pepper, DACC Enrollment Coordinator