Three Beacon Students Earn First Place At State SkillsUSA Event

From Beacon Charter High School for the Arts: At the Annual, SkillsUSA Competition over one thousand students from Rhode Island showcased their technical and vocational skills competing in categories ranging from Action Skills to Welding Sculpture. Eleven of those students competed on behalf of Beacon Charter High School for the Arts under the supervision of their dedicated Advisor Jade Illum, Beacon’s Culinary Arts teacher.

At the awards ceremony, which took place last night at the VETS Memorial Theater, the winning students were recognized for their outstanding efforts. Three Beacon students won first place in their individual competitions. Senior, Kennedy Chartier, earned top honors in Commercial Baking. 11th grader Jada Nichols won first place in Customer Service. Finally, Mary Melo, also an 11th grader, earned the top prize for her Prepared Speech.

This is the first time any Beacon student has won first place in the SkillsUSA competition, although multiple students have placed in the past. These students worked tirelessly to refine and perfect their skills in preparation for competition. These awards were well-deserved. The entire Beacon Community would like to commend their efforts and congratulate these hard-working young ladies for being model student artists. We are looking forward to seeing these accomplished students compete in the National Competition, which will take place in Kentucky at the end of June.

SkillsUSA RI is a national organization that aims to prepare students to enter the workforce armed with the skills and tools to be exemplary employees and individuals. Each element of SkillsUSA programming is based upon a framework that illustrates the importance of personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA RI emphasizes the belief in high ethical standards, superior work skills, life-long education, and pride in the dignity of work.

Image via Beacon Charter High School for the Arts