Students from two of the WECDSB’s high schools recently swept two categories of a provincial competition which showcases their abilities in the skilled trades.
“This is like the student Olympics of skilled trades in Ontario, and we are absolutely thrilled with the way our students performed,” said Cory McAiney, the board’s Teacher Consultant for Pathways, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, and Technological Studies. “They put a tremendous amount of preparation into this competition, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Skills Ontario virtual competition was held over a two week period, with WECDSB students competing on April 25. Depending on their trade, students were required to complete a task which would demonstrate their level of capability. Here’s how they performed:
CNC Woodworking Competition:
Teacher – Michael Costello
Gold Medal - David Hanratty (St. Anne Catholic High School)
Silver Medal - Nate Rodzik (St. Anne Catholic High School)
Bronze Medal - Michael Edgar (St. Anne Catholic High School)
Brick and Stone Masonry
Teacher – Marko Senjanin
Gold Medal – Matthieu Bernard (F.J. Brennan Catholic High School/Construction Academy)
Silver Medal – Lauren Bayn (F.J. Brennan Catholic High School/Construction Academy)
Bronze Medal – Madison Vasile (F.J. Brennan Catholic High School/Construction Academy)
“Over the last several years we have placed a great deal of emphasis on encouraging our students to explore more of the exciting careers that exist in the skilled trades sector, so it’s very rewarding to see students taking advantage of the opportunities we provide them and performing so well at the provincial level,” said Emelda Byrne, Director of Education. “Whether it’s our extremely popular Construction Academies, our Specialist High Skills Majors programs or co-op education programs, students are getting hands-on experience in a wide variety of trades before they even leave high school. Judging by the way they performed in this competition, I’m sure these students have very bright futures ahead of them.”
A recording of the live announcement of the competition winners can be viewed here.