Four students from Two Rivers are in Appleton today (February 21st) to participate in the SkillsUSA Wisconsin Regional Competition.
The group is led by Tech Ed Instructor Jacob Haag, who tells SeehaferNews.com that the school started with the SkillsUSA program two years ago, but never really got into the competition side of it.
That is until this year.
The Regional Competition is only the second contest the group has been a part of, and Haag says it shows in their emotion heading into the competition.
“There’s a lot of nerves, and excitement,” he revealed. “Just like I was telling the kids, (its) like that sporting event. But this is the real deal for something a little bit different in there. I can see it on their faces and even in myself. I’m nervous, but I’m excited to jump in and see what this has to offer.”
Ashley Miller is a junior at Two Rivers High School, and she will be using her math skills in the tech math competition.
The self-professed “math geek” told us the competition is heavily weighted towards algebra.
“You need to be able to figure out different like widths and links and measurements. And that’s what tech math is kind of about. You use it to figure things out,” she explained with a chuckle.
Miller admitted she wasn’t 100% sure what she wants to do after high school, but she is learning on the job at Burger Boat with the Youth Apprenticeship program.
Senior Nathan Dicke is participating in the power equipment technology segment, which he also did at the District Competition in Menasha.
Dicke explained that the segment focuses on small engines.
“We did a written test on basic stuff about small engines, stuff around that, and then we did an ID test,” he recalled. “There were…like 20 pictures and we had to tell each of what was in the picture. And then there was a measurement test.”
Dicke told us he is planning on attending NWTC next year, where he will study industrial maintenance. Sophomore Jonah Hansen is eyeing a career in welding, which is the segment he competed in during the Menasha competition, but this time he will be participating in the CO2 dragster competition.
“It’s similar to a Pinewood Derby car, but it’s powered by a CO2 canister, and there are a lot of more in-depth parameters,” he explained.
Daniel Ernst does like to use his hands to fix and build things, but in Appleton, he will be doing the exact opposite.
The junior at Two Rivers will be participating in the job demonstration segment.
“I prepared a slide show with how to demonstrate how to use a CNC router,” he revealed. “It helped show me that I can easily tell someone like how to do this without being like over their shoulder.”
Ernst told us he is looking forward to a hands-on career in construction or maybe education.
The competition began at 9:00 this morning, with awards slated to be handed out at 1:00 this afternoon.
