Students in the Western ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Technical Center at the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ –
Fort Smith won a total of 14 medals – 7 of them gold medals – in the 2016 ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´
SkillsUSA Championships.
Awards were given in the secondary division and included gold, silver and bronze medals for first, second and third places.
Award winners were:
Alma: Jacob Bolding, Alma High School, silver in Welding Fabrication (team of 3); Hunter McDermid, Alma High School, silver in Welding Fabrication (team of 3); Chase Pearson, silver in Welding Fabrication (team of 3).
Booneville: Elizabeth Chrisman, Booneville High School, gold in Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 3); Debbie Robertson, Booneville High School, gold in Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 3).
Fort Smith: Lauren Hoover, Southside High School, gold in Preschool Teaching Assistant; Rachael Keomany, Northside High School, gold in Nurse Assisting; James Sangster, Northside High School, gold in Technical Computer Applications; Kayla Tucker, Southside High School, bronze in Prepared Speech.
Greenwood: Kristen Keene, Greenwood High School, silver in Preschool Teaching Assistant.
Van Buren: Haley Rains, Van Buren High School, gold in Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 3).
Waldron: Jeana Lovett, Waldron High School, gold in Basic Healthcare Skills; Nikkita Sandifer, Waldron High School, silver in Medical Math; Morgan Schafer, Waldron High School, silver in First Aid/CPR.
In addition to the medals, WATC gold medal winners receive a four-year $1,000 scholarship to attend ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´.
SkillsUSA is a national organization for both high school and college students. The organization is designed to provide quality educational experiences for students enrolled in technical, skilled and service programs.
The Western ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Technical Center at ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ is an area secondary center serving a five-county area. WATC provides area high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to earn college credits in automotive technology, computer-aided drafting and design, criminal justice, early childhood education, electronics technology, engineering, graphic design, health sciences, information technology and welding technology.