Carpentry contestants competing in the High School SkillsUSA regional qualifier held at Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Walker County Campus on Nov. 30
Twenty-eight high schools from across Northwest Georgia competed in the SkillsUSA Region 1 Qualifying Competition hosted by Georgia Northwestern Technical College Nov. 30. Hundreds of competitors represented their schools hoping to qualify for SkillsUSA Georgia being held in Atlanta next March.
Contestants placing first or second in their respective categories at the regional event earned a spot in the state competition in 2019. High school contestants competed in 25 different professional skill categories on the Walker County Campus of GNTC Rock Spring.
The students who placed at the qualifier are as follows:
Advertising Design
1st Place Alexandra Almour Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School
2nd Place Hannah Alexander Heritage High School
3rd Place Stone Nicholson Gordon Central High School
Architectural Drafting
1st Place Norma Solis Gilmer High School
2nd Place Jakob Liggins Pepperell High School
3rd Place Tristan Alverson Heritage High School
Automotive Refinishing
1st Place Hunter Forsyth Cedartown High School
Automotive Service Technology
1st Place Caleb Batcliff Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy
2nd Place Andrew Hollis Cedartown High School
3rd Place Jesse Taff Rockmart High School
Cabinetmaking
1st Place Spencer Youngblood Cedartown High School
2nd Place Dalton Bray Chattooga High School
3rd Place Banks Hathcox Calhoun High School
Carpentry
1st Place Forrest Todd Gilmer High School
2nd Place Emmanual Cornejo Cedartown High School
3rd Place Jonathan Pearson Model High School
Collision Repair Technology
1st Place Piper Ramirez Rockmart High School
2nd Place Austin Ledbetter Cherokee High School
3rd Place Johnny Angle Cedartown High School
Cosmetology
1st Place Faith Jenkins Cass High School
2nd Place Harmony Shaw Cedartown High School
3rd Place Jessica Forsyth Adairsville High School
Early Childhood Education
1st Place Jada McGill Model High School
2nd Place Kaitlin Bostick Coosa High School
3rd Place Aspen Burton Murray County High School
Electrical Construction Wiring
1st Place Cody McNeese Gordon Central High School
2nd Place Steven Vargas Coosa High School
3rd Place Logan Cundiff Chattooga High School
Esthetics
1st Place Estefania Segura Cass High School
2nd Place Reagan Brown North Murray High School
3rd Place Sandra Daniel Cedartown High School
Extemporaneous Speaking
1st Place Sasha Melbourne Cherokee High School
2nd Place Kendell Arnold Cass High School
3rd Place Clara Smith Gilmer High School
First Aid/CPR
1st Place Emilie Leyssens Dalton High School
2nd Place Courtney Burchfield Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy
3rd Place Ethan Lester Cedartown High School
Graphic Communications
1st Place Taylor Harris Armuchee High School
Job Interview
1st Place Emma Long Pickens High School
2nd Place Savannah Martin Cass High School
3rd Place Lincoln Puryear Murray High School
Job Skills Demonstration A
1st Place Payton Goodson Rockmart High School
2nd Place Skyler Nold Pickens High School
3rd Place Luke Crump Gilmer High School
Job Skills Demonstration Open
1st Place Joe Huynh Dalton High School
2nd Place Philena Lewis Woodland High School
3rd Place Alexander Duncan LaFayette High School
Masonry
1st Place Kevin Fraire Gordon High School
2nd Place Devon Bishop Chattooga High School
3rd Place Seth Reed Ringgold High School
Pin Design
1st Place Logan Drake Creekview High School
2nd Place Ellen Tyrell Heritage High School
3rd Place Sisly Mann North Murray High School
Plumbing
1st Place Conner Bennett Adairsville High School
2nd Place Oliver Nolasco Rockmart High School
3rd Place Cole Ray Cedartown High School
Prepared Speech
1st Place Emely Perez North Murray County High School
2nd Place Evan Holder Cedartown High School
3rd Place Diane Nave LaFayette High School
Quiz Bowl
1st Place Floyd County College & Career Academy
2nd Place Cherokee High School
3rd Place Coosa High School
Technical Drafting
1st Place Matthew Funderburk Heritage High School
2nd Place Zach Garrett Pepperell High School
T-Shirt Design
1st Place Lanie Roland Cherokee High School
2nd Place Byranna Darnell Gordon Central High School
3rd Place Elijah Pehison Heritage High School
Welding
1st Place Tucker Mobbs Cedartown High School
2nd Place Sage Owings Chattooga High School
3rd Place Dakota Roper Coosa High School
"The competitions went very well this year,” said GNTC SkillsUSA Advisor Missy McClain.
“The talent was exceptional this time around and our high schools in Northwest Georgia will be well represented. 2019 should be a very good year for our area.”
"GNTC is known for its prowess on the national stage of SkillsUSA at the collegiate level," officials said. This past summer, GNTC sent 17 national qualifiers to the 2018 SkillsUSA National Competition in Louisville, Ky. in June. Seven of those finished in the top 10 in the nation. In 2017, GNTC’s Ryan Fincher of Cedartown, Ga. won the national championship in the category.