Almost Over!

It hardly seems possible, but our week of competing, networking, and learning is almost over. From the Opening Ceremony to tonight's World's of Fun, the trip has been amazing. We had a great flight in to KC. We settled in on Monday and met others from Indiana at a dinner and celebration. Tuesday began orientation meetings where each competitor received additional instructions and advice regarding their competitions. Well organized and professional, the competitors were celebrated as true champions for making it to this level of competition.

On Tuesday evening we were a part of a record breaking Opening Ceremony as all advisors, competitors, and SkillsUSA staff member sat in Kemper Arena to kick off the 45th National Leadership and Skills Conference. With exciting lighting effects, energetic music, and a variety of guest speakers, over 11,000 Skills members cheered on the successes of the past and prospects of the future. Lowes donated 1.5 million to SkillsUSA while guest speakers including Jimmy Johnson promoted the works and value of the organization. It was hard to go away without being left impressed.

Wednesday morning the Community Service team of Jacob Turner (HVAC), Patrick Park (HVAC), and Melissa Spurrier (Law Enforcement), competed and did a fabulous job of sharing their cemetary restoration project with the judges. They were cool, calm, and collected in their presentation, clearly making a connection as the judges laughed and praised their work. Also on Wednesday, our Computer Repair competitor, Andrew Patrick, participated in an excrusiating 8 plus hour session. Wednesday ended with a party for the students downtown.

On Thursday the Crime Scene Investigation team of Alyssa Spratt, Cesar Marmolejo, and Katie Myers sat and waited for almost three hours before they worked a crime scene gathering evidence and then processing the findings complete with a report. Onlookers had to be impressed with their intensity and focus. Their advisor, Mr. Gullion, was on pins and needles watching, but couldn't have been more proud of his students and their performance. Also, Andrew had three more hours of competing today passing both parts of the the A+ certification test. Despite A.J.'s premiere acting, Mr. Hettenvan knew that A.J. was pulling his leg when he claimed that he failed by 9 or so points.

Today is almost over. The students and Mr. Hettenvan all went to the World's of Fun amusement park. Smaller than King's Island, it is certain that they will have a great evening now that all of their competing is over and they can relax.

Just a quick note of thanks to several friends of our SkillsUSA team:

• Wayne Township School Board for allowing us to take this trip
• Mr. Ron Hoke and Ms. Lizzy Perez for supporting and helping to financially back this trip
• Mr. Roger Park for transporting our projector to Kansas City
• Mr. Hettenvan and Mr. Gullion for coming to KC to be a part of this event
• All the parents of our competitors for allowing your student to be a part of this tremendous opportunity; thank you for sharing your child with us!
• All of the student competitors for being such impressive role models and giving up part of their summer to be here

As a personal note, we really have had a great trip. These students have made this very enjoyable, and they have made all three of the advisor very proud. They have proudly represented BDHS, Area 31 Career Center, and their home school. :-)

We will post the results tomorrow when we find out. It will be late. We will be leaving KC around 8:00 on Saturday. Check the Southwest website to check our exact arrival time.

Debbie Montgomery

Greetings and Information for National SkillsUSA Convention and Competition

Congratulations to you and your team for being a part of our 2009 Area 31 Career Center SkillsUSA team which will compete the week of June 22 – June 26 at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Convention in Kansas City. I am sure that you have questions and concerns regarding this upcoming trip; therefore, information is included with this letter: flight information, hotel accommodations, and contact numbers. If you still have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Career Center office directly at 317-243-5524.

Students will enjoy a wide variety of activities during this week long convention and competition. Students should bring casual attire for those times when they are not competing, remembering that they are representing Area 31 Career Center and the state of Indiana. In addition, your student will need to bring the following clothing items to be worn during competition and awards events. We will provide any SkillsUSA apparel that is needed for the competition.

· Black dress pants/slacks or skirt
· Black shoes and socks or hose
· White, collared dress shirt
· Black tie for men

Your student will be responsible for purchasing all meals during the five + days with the exception of two dinners: Monday night, June 22 and Friday night, June 26. These two meals are included in the registration fees. Please send enough money with your student to eat healthy meals and snacks as needed. There will also be opportunities for your student to purchase souvenirs and SkillsUSA clothing at the convention.

Additional SkillsUSA information can be found at their website. You can track the competition results through that website: http://www.skillsusa.org/events/nlsc09.shtm , as well as other important information. Also, we will be sharing our activities through Twitter, an online social network program that keeps “friends” updated on what you are doing. If you become a follower, you will receive updates automatically. We will be doing a lot! As we experience, compete, and win, we will keep you updated. Access this at http://twitter.com/Area31CC .

Finally, if you have additional questions and concerns, please email or call the Area 31 Career Center office. Sending your student off to another state is sometimes a stressful ordeal. We hope to ease your mind and help you feel confident that he or she is in good hands learning and having a great experience.