Whittier Tech Students Secure Gold Medals at National SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference

From left, Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School students Julia Walsh, Melissa Guillaume, Chloe Simard earned gold medals in the Career Pathways Showcase Health Services competition. (Courtesy photograph.)

Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School students took home gold medals, at the national SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference two weeks ago.

Eight Whittier Tech students and seven staff members attended the conference June 20-24 in Atlanta, Georgia. They joined students from across the country who earned gold medals at state conferences earlier this year. Chloe Simard, Melissa Guillaume, both of Haverhill, and Julia Walsh of Salisbury, 2022 graduates who all studied Health Assisting, won gold medals in Career Pathways Showcase Health Services for their project “Spreading the Warmth.” As part of the project, they made and donated specialty blankets to local area pediatric hospitals.

“Winning gold is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, and the knowledge that they attain through their studies at Whittier Tech,” said Superintendent Maureen Lynch.

Noel Allen, a member of the Class of 2022 from Salisbury who studied Culinary Arts, participated in the Restaurant Services competition, while Jaidyn Craig, an incoming senior from Haverhill studying Medical Assisting, was recognized as an elected Massachusetts state officer for the 2022-2023 school year.

Craig also served as a National Delegate along with Ryan Link, a member of the Class of 2022 from Haverhill who studied Advanced Manufacturing. Craig and Link represented Whittier Tech by voting on the national officers.

At the conference, Whittier Tech’s chapter was also recognized with the Gold Standard Level 2 Chapter Award and as one of 24 SkillsUSA chapters in the nation to achieve the Models of Excellence in Technical Skills status.

Whittier’s chapter was recognized for several projects that honored Haverhill’s first responders on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Advanced Manufacturing students made custom key tags for all first responders, Carpentry students crafted American flags for the fire and police chiefs, Masonry students added customized donor bricks to the Haverhill Firefighting Museum Memorial and Culinary Arts students baked pastries for all guests in attendance at a Memorial Service at the Haverhill Firefighting Museum.

Silas Smith, an incoming junior from Haverhill studying Masonry, and SkillsUSA Chapter Secretary Marisa Behl, an incoming senior from Georgetown studying Health Assisting, represented Whittier Tech in accepting this honor.

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