Louisiana NLSC Updates
With the close of our SLSC begins the opening of the National Leadership and Skills Conference. Schools are urged to get your registration submitted for NLSC as soon as possible, If you have a gold metal winner that does not plan to attend please send Mr. Boudreaux an email ASAP.
Remember the deadline to register is May 10 and payment must be received in the State Office on or before May 14.
2024 Models of Excellence Schools Announced
The top 24 SkillsUSA schools have been chosen as Models of Excellence for 2024. The Models of Excellence program recognizes the exceptional integration and application of Personal, Workplace and Technical Skills in SkillsUSA chapter activities. This is the highest honor bestowed on chapters by SkillsUSA. These chapters will be evaluated in June at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, and the top three will receive national recognition and the opportunity to share their stories through SkillsUSA in publications and trainings. Congratulations to these schools:
· Alliance Academy for Innovation (Ga.)
· Cape Cod Regional Technical High School (Mass.)
· Center of Applied Technologies North (Md.)
· Cesar Chavez High School (Calif.)
· Cross Keys High School (Ga.)
· Dinuba High School (Calif.)
· Douglas High School (Ariz.)
· Gloucester County Institute of Technology (N.J.)
· Greater Lowell Technical High School (Mass.)
· Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School (Mass.)
· Kofa High School (Ariz.)
· Lynn Vocational Technical Institute (Mass.)
· Morton High School (Ill.)
· Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES (N.Y.)
· Robert H. Gibson Technical School (N.Y.)
· Scott Regional Technology Center (Mo.)
· Temple College (Texas)
· Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Chattanooga (Tenn.)
· Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski (Tenn.)
· Upper Valley Career Center (Ohio)
· Valley Academy for Career and Technology Education (Ariz.)
· Waverly-Shell Rock High School (Iowa)
· Willow Canyon High School (Ariz.)
Spotlight Your Community During SkillsUSA National Week of Service
SkillsUSA invites chapters to conduct and promote a local community service project during the SkillsUSA National Week of Service, May 5-11. This event commemorates the founding of SkillsUSA on May 8, 1965. Connect with SkillsUSA via social media by posting photos of your activities online. Chapter advisors or officers can also provide a brief description of local chapter events using this form. In return, we’ll send a SkillsUSA logo gift item valued at $15 to say thanks (while supplies last).
We encourage participants to publicize their projects locally. To locate contact information for your local newspapers, use our SkillsUSA Advocacy Site. On the site, click on “Media,” enter your ZIP code, and choose up to six outlets at a time. Then, click on “Send a Message.” At “Compose Your Own Message,” fill in your contact information and your message and click send. To see the full contact information for each outlet, click on the name of the newspaper.
NTHS Scholarship Winners
The National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) annually awards four $1,000 scholarships to SkillsUSA members who are also members of NTHS. Here are this year’s winners:
· Alexa Martinis, Camden County Technical School, N.J.
· Sylvia Dobbe, The Center for Advanced Technical Studies, S.C.
· Yan Dologuin, Northwest Kansas Technical College, Kan.
· Deacon Kraft, Moore Norman Technology Center, Okla.
Casting is Now Open for Skills Jam Season 2
The 2023 Skills Jam cast and docu-series were amazing! Now, we’re ready to do it again, bigger and even better, with Skills Jam 2024! Skills Jam needs your help to find the best stories around the country, regardless of if your students are on the road to NLSC or not. Skills Jam is now offering two grants of $2,500 each to two randomly selected chapters. Even if your students aren’t cast, just by entering your program has a chance to win the grant. Find the details in the Skills Jam Casting Overview and the student flyer and presentation slide. If you missed the 2023 docu-series, you can still catch last season’s Skills Jam episodes on YouTube. The tide is turning when it comes to the perception of skilled trades across the nation. Don’t miss this great opportunity to build that momentum for your program and your students! For questions, contact Maria@SkilledCareers.org.
Upcoming SkillsUSA Technical Fridays Workshop
Join us for “Technical Fridays” virtual workshops led by industry experts to help teachers develop specific skills relevant to their career fields of interest. Leave the sessions with a new skill to implement in your classroom. Learn more about the workshops here. On April 26 at 4 p.m. ET., a session on “Exploring Basic Electrical Fundamentals and the Electrical/Electronic Systems in John Deere Products” will be led by John Deere service managers Jason Kinzey and David Bostic. With a combined experience of over 40 years at John Deere, Jason and David oversee partnerships with the 21 John Deere tech programs, a pivotal aspect of John Deere’s efforts to bolster technician capacity and efficiency. Gain a comprehensive understanding to enhance your servicing abilities. Workshops are free but space is limited. Register for the sessions online. If you have questions, contact Emily Cornwell.
SkillsUSA Scholarship Application Deadlines Coming Soon
Exploring and applying for SkillsUSA scholarships is an easy process. SkillsUSA student members can review eligibility criteria, scholarship amounts and applications in one location: SkillsUSA Scholarship Application Hub. Please encourage your SkillsUSA students to apply and take advantage of these incredible scholarships!
Scholarship closes May 6: 2024 Robert Flint Student Leadership Development Scholarship for Leverage Conference
NLSC travel scholarship closing on May 22: Harbor Freight Tools for Schools (applicants can receive up to $1,500 to attend the 2024 National Leadership & Skills Conference)
Closing May 31: The Bob Westphal Memorial Scholarship
To learn more about these scholarships and how to submit a quality application, visit the SkillsUSA Scholarships and Grants webpage. If you have questions, contact Jordan Sewell.
Share Your SkillsUSA Signing Day with the Nation
Chapters across the nation will celebrate SkillsUSA National Signing Day on May 7 by highlighting the value of the skilled trades while recognizing career and technical students for their dedication to career readiness and a career in the skilled trades. Year by year, SkillsUSA National Signing Day is generating awareness that the skilled trades offer rewarding career paths.
On Signing Day, SkillsUSA chapters will host students at signing ceremonies attended by administrators, teachers, elected officials, SkillsUSA advisors, family and friends. Like signing day events for student athletes who commit to a college or team, students will be applauded one by one as they sign letters of intent for a job offer, apprenticeship or advanced technical training.
Throughout the day, skilled trades supporters will share their encouragement for these future workers, so watch our SkillsUSA social media channels for some exciting updates. If you need resources, download the Signing Day toolkit.
All chapters are asked to share their events on social media and to submit their Signing Day photos, videos and stories to SkillsUSA so we can highlight your local events. To submit photos and stories, upload them here. Use the hashtag #SkillsUSANationalSigningDay.
The SkillsUSA Store — Official SkillsUSA Competition Apparel
With SkillsUSA competition season in full swing, visit the SkillsUSA Store and set yourself up for success! We have all of your SkillsUSA competition attire needs, from the newly redesigned SkillsUSA blazer and official white polo to work uniforms, safety goggles and everything else your event requires.
Apply for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teacher Excellence
Applications are now open for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence awards. The prize recognizes outstanding instruction in the skilled trades in U.S. public high schools and the teachers who inspire students to learn skills to prepare for life after graduation. In 2024, Harbor Freight will award $1.5 million in cash prizes to 25 skilled trades teachers and their programs. In 2023, the prize recognized 16 SkillsUSA instructors as winners. Applications must be received by May 3. Finalists will be announced June 11 and winners will be announced this fall.
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