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Thanks for a great week!

June 26th, 2010

Thanks to all our SkillsUSA Champions for a fantastic week at the National Leadership and Skills Conference.

Just a quick reminder, contestant scores can be found online along with the listing of medalists from this year’s competition. Medalists can also request a copy of the photos taken backstage. Visit www.skillsusa.org/compete/results.shtml for more information. Note: to retrieve your score, you must have your contestant number. If you can’t remember it, contact your state association director.

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Community Service and the Awards Ceremony

June 25th, 2010

This morning, more than 500 students are heading out into the greater Kansas City area to perform community service. This year, participating students and advisors will be working on a bridge, building a mountain bike trail, installing vinyl siding and creating a community garden. This community service event is sponsored by Timberland PRO, which has partnered with us at the national conference since 2002.

Also happening this morning is the Champions 5K Run, which begins at 9 at English Landing Park. All proceeds benefit the SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association.

SkillsUSA University will be wrapping up today, and the delegates will have their last meetings and cast the final ballots for the students who will represent them as national officers for the upcoming school year.

Tonight, we head back to Kemper Arena for the Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Lowe’s. We will be honored to hear from Larry Stone, president and chief operating officer of Lowe’s since 2006. The winner of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle raffle will be announced tonight, and the new national officers will be sworn in. And of course, SkillsUSA Champions will receive their gold, silver and bronze medals.

Awards Ceremony tickets are available at the booth outside of 2103A in Bartle Hall. The cost is $10. They will also be available for purchase at Kemper Arena.

Can’t make it? You can always watch the live stream courtesy of School Video News. Details are available here: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml.

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The 2010 SkillsUSA Championships

June 24th, 2010

Today is the big day for SkillsUSA Champions from across the nation. The 2010 SkillsUSA Championships is today! With 96 contests and more than 5,600 competitors, the championships encompasses Bartle Hall, its Conference Center, Municipal Auditorium, American Royal Center and downtown Marriott, Crowne Plaza and Phillips hotels.

Make sure to take the time to stop by and see the contests in Municipal Auditorium and make the trip down to the American Royal Center (next to Kemper Arena) to check out the TeamWorks, Welding Fabrication and Welding Art Sculpture contests. The SkillsUSA Championships is supported by more than 1,000 companies and associations.

A new “green” event this year is the State Farm Innovation in Sustainability Showcase. Chapters will be displaying their projects from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Bartle Hall Lobby 2100.

But it’s not only contests today. SkillsUSA TECHSPO continues both at the outside street exhibits and in the lobbies throughout Bartle Hall. There’s still time to register for the Champions 5K Run. You have until 4 p.m. today at the Alumni booth (No. 232). There will be another Meet the Candidates session, business meeting and the SkillsUSA Delegates will cast their primary ballot for our new national officers.

Tonight, make sure you head out to Worlds of Fun theme park. It’s a great way to blow off steam after an exciting day of competition.

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A Call to Action and the Big Show

June 23rd, 2010

Today’s a big day. The Call to Action Session begins this morning at 8:30 and is the only place during NLSC where ALL instructors/advisors gather in a meeting specifically for teachers and administrators. There will be a thank-you gift for every person attending, and it’s a great time to hear about the latest SkillsUSA happenings and from our partners in Washington, D.C.

SkillsUSA University begins today at 10 a.m. See: www.skillsusa.org/events/skillsuniv.shtml for details. Also, be sure and check out SkillsUSA’s Amazing Race. It’s part of SkillsUSA TECHSPO and begins today at 10:30 a.m. You can find all the details on Page 18 of the conference program: http://www.skillsusa.org/downloads/PDF/NLSC/program.pdf.

The SkillsUSA Delegates continue their important work today with a Meet the Candidates session at 1 p.m., the first delegate business meeting at 2 p.m. and another joint session of the high school and college/postsecondary houses at 3 p.m. John McGlade, CEO of Air Products and SkillsUSA’s CEO Champion of the Year is the special guest speaker for the joint session.

This evening at 7 p.m., the conference officially begins with our Opening Ceremony at Kemper Arena, sponsored by Bosch and Georgia-Pacific. Our keynote speaker is Mike Holmes from the HGTV program, “Holmes on Homes.” New this year, the ceremony closes with the ribbon cutting for the SkillsUSA Championships. Everything will be broadcast live via Internet. Log on at www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml.

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There’s a Lot Going On!

June 22nd, 2010

Things are really kicking off today at conference. SkillsUSA TECHSPO exhibits open at 9 a.m. (all times are CDT). Be sure to stop by Municipal Auditorium’s Music Hall Foyer for your FREE conference souvenir T-shirt, pin and backpack, all compliments of Lowe’s.

Starting today, we will be broadcasting twice daily from Bartle Hall, streaming live on the Internet. Look for updates at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Watch for interviews with students, delegates and sponsors, keynote speakers, highlights from the competition floor, coverage of SkillsUSA TECHSPO and other outdoor activities. Visit: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml to watch.

The SkillsUSA Delegate meetings kick off today with a joint session beginning at 2 p.m.  at the Muehlebach Tower in the Marriott downtown.

The Health Occupations Advisors Luncheon is today at noon in Bartle Hall Room 2206. This is SkillsUSA’s time to extend a special thanks to our health science educators. A great lunch will be served, and the keynote speaker will be from the U.S. Army Medical Corps.

Don’t forget that this year, our Opening Ceremony has moved to Wednesday night. So the Champions Festival has been moved to tonight. This is the first official event for NLSC participants. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Kansas City Power and Light District’s “Living Room.” All participants must wear a SkillsUSA logo shirt, appropriate attire and the official conference badge for admittance to this private, SkillsUSA-only event. It’s sponsored by Carhartt, Pepsi and the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association.

The 100-Percent Advisors Reception will honor our very best instructors: those who involve ALL their students in a quality SkillsUSA leadership and skills development program. There will be two MEGA prizes awarded to teachers at this reception, sponsored by Irwin Industrial Tools. The prizes will be all-expense-paid trips for two to major national sporting events. The reception is being held at the College Basketball Experience, also in the Kansas City Power and Light District.

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Promotion of Student Organizations and Students

June 15th, 2010

On May 19, I met with the National Coordinating Council of the Career and Technical Student Organizations for our bimonthly meeting at the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE). Margaret Romer, deputy director at OVAE, hosted the meeting. She said the Office wants to do much more to use CTSO students in visibility for career and technical education within the department, with policymakers and with the public. Among her specific proposals are more meetings at the Department of Education when CTSO students are in Washington, more appearances by the Department of Education before CTSO audiences and conducting a joint Webinar with the student presidents and officials in Washington under the auspices of OVAE as we’ve done in the past.

On the policy front, Romer told us that Jim Stone, director of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education will be joining our July meeting to discuss a new research project on CTSOs supported by OVAE. She also confirmed that Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann-Messier is committed to having career and technical education included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) known as “No Child Left Behind” in the previous administration. Romer also told me she is looking forward to reviewing the SkillsUSA Employability Skills Assessment. People in the field have been telling her to take a look.

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Skill Connect Assessment Year-End Meeting

June 15th, 2010

Brenda Quinn, CEO of intelitek and staff members including YDF member Mike Ogilvy, met with us on May 18 to discuss marketing and progress on the Work Force Ready System. All of us remarked on how much has been accomplished during the past three years. We’ve delivered 44 assessments to the field – including the National Automotive Student Skills Standards Assessments (NA3SA) in conjunction with ASE – and there are still a couple of assessments nearing completion and a few more are planned for next year, including two from PrintED.

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Highlights

June 15th, 2010
  • Just a few National Leadership and Skills Conference numbers: the most recent VIP guest list  includes nearly 250 people and it seems more keep coming all the time; we have 9,759 registered teachers and students, an increase over last year and we’re up to 5,661 contestants. The truck is packed and leaves today on its way to conference.
  • State Association Directors are encouraged to attend a special WorldSkills session on Thursday during NLSC. The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. in Bartle Hall, Room 2208. Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of the UK Skills and WorldSkills London will be giving an overview of plans for the 2011 WSC in London and Jon Gonzalez will discuss funding initiatives. Staff will provide information on the new team selection process and provide an update on WorldTeam members selected so far. The meeting should last approximately 30-34 minutes.
  • Staff has arranged two new events for business partners to meet during conference. One is a town hall-style meeting for current and prospective business and industry partners on how to derive the most benefit from a partnership with SkillsUSA. A panel of representatives from SkillsUSA’s leading business partners will conduct the discussion on Thursday, June 24, at 2 p.m., in Bartle Hall Room 2209. Second, We have also added a new SkillsUSA University session to help current and prospective partners learn best practices to get the most out of their partnership with SkillsUSA. Lynn Scheitrum of Air Products has agreed to moderate. This will be a good session for companies that are attending national conference for the first time, likewise for any prospective partners that state directors or others may plan to host during conference.
  • And, Kelly Horton has officially started work here and joined us as our new director of Membership, Marketing and Sales.

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SkillsUSA at Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 15th, 2010

Peyton Sellers ran his Sellers Racing Chevrolet fully-wrapped with the SkillsUSA logo on the hood, rear deck and sides, on May 29 during the qualifying trials in the Tech-Net Auto Service 300 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He even wore a SkillsUSA logo fire suit. Here’s more information www.skillsusa.org/supporters/peytonsellers.shtml.

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Live! From Kemper Arena …

June 15th, 2010

Once again, SkillsUSA, in collaboration with School Video News will broadcast the pre-event activities and the entire opening and awards ceremonies online. This live streaming will capture the exciting on-the-floor activities, and give family, friends and sponsors the opportunity to watch students as they receive their awards. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the action.

  • Watch daily newscasts, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Central Daylight Time, beginning Tuesday, June 22.
  • The Opening Ceremony, Wednesday, June 23, with live coverage beginning at 6 p.m. (one hour before the event)
  • The Awards Ceremony, Friday, June 25, with live coverage beginning at 5 p.m. (one hour before the event).

All broadcasts can be viewed by going to this link: http://tinyurl.com/skillsusa2010

For more information, visit the SkillsUSA Web site at www.skillsusa.org, or School Video News at http://www.school-video-news.com. Can’t watch at these times? All live streamed events will be available after the conference by visiting the SkillsUSA Web site.

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