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Timberland Service and the Awards Ceremony

June 27th, 2012

For the past 11 years, Timberland PRO has hosted service events during our conference to provide students with hands-on opportunities. SkillsUSA students have applied their skills and provided direct benefit to the Kansas City community. This year, volunteers will have the opportunity to pack up food at the Kansas City region’s largest food bank, Harvesters, which provides food for assistance for up to 66,000 individuals every week. They can also choose to serve outdoors by planting fruit and nut trees to build a new urban orchard in downtown Kansas City. Thanks to all the volunteers for giving up sleep and relaxation time to serve others.

SkillsUSA University sessions finish up today as do the delegate meetings. The final votes will be cast for national officers today.

Also today, the annual blood drive, sponsored by the Kansas City Community Blood Center, will be in Bartle Hall 2105. Hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The National Courtesy Corps auction begins at 11 a.m. in Bartle Hall 2215C. Proceeds benefit the NCC.

Tonight, the conference reaches its peak of excitement with the awards ceremony. Seating begins at 4:30 p.m. The ceremony starts at 6 p.m. Don’t forget, if you aren’t with us in Kansas City, you can watch the excitement online here: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml. Our live video streaming is sponsored by Lowe’s.

It’s going to be a great night!

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SkillsUSA Championships

June 26th, 2012

Today, nearly 6,000 competitors will compete in 94 contests in Bartle Hall, its Conference Center, Municipal Auditorium, American Royal Center and the downtown Marriott and Phillips hotels. It’s truly an awe-inspiring event.

Also today, TECHSPO will have its final day of exhibits and SkillsUSA University will continue. The delegate meetings be going on with primary ballots being cast for our new national officers.

This evening, be sure and join us for SkillsUSA night. This year, conference attendees will have two choices for the evening: Worlds of Fun or Kauffman Stadium with the Kansas City Royals.

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Contests Begin, A Call to Action and the Opening Ceremony

June 25th, 2012

The first contests of the SkillsUSA Championships begin today. These are open to the public and begin at 8 a.m. Be sure and see your official conference program for times and locations. You can download a copy here.

At 8:30 a.m., be sure to attend my “Call to Action” session in the Marriott Downtown in the Count Basie Ballroom. Just take the escalator to the second floor and you can’t miss it.  Learn about SkillsUSA’s priorities, vision and CTE trends. You will also hear from Harvard University’s Bill Symonds on the need for CTE in education reform. This year’s Outstanding Educator Awards will also be presented. All instructors are invited to this session.

Beginning today at 10 a.m., be sure to check out SkillsUSA University for a great variety of educational seminars on the latests trends, new technology and best career opportunities. Sessions will run today through Wednesday.

At 10:30 a.m., don’t miss SkillsUSA’s Amazing Race. Participants will race through SkillsUSA TECHSPO to learn more about exhibitors and win prizes. Also look for “Free Money” giveaways in the form of gift cards from Best Buy and Lowe’s. Visit Municipal Auditorium and follow the signs to this exciting giveaway.

Today you can also “Meet the Candidates” running for slots to serve as your new national officers. And student officers should be sure to attend the special joint session of delegates today at 3 p.m.

Of course, the big show is tonight at Kemper Arena: The Opening Ceremony for SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference. The keynote speaker is Chef Jeff Henderson. This is an exciting and motivational event. Don’t miss it! Special thanks to Robert Bosch Tool Corp. for supporting the 2012 Opening Ceremony. For those folks not in Kansas City, you can watch the ceremony live online at this link: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml. Our live video streaming is sponsored by Lowe’s.

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Constitutional Amendments During High School and College/Postsecondary House of Delegates in June

April 13th, 2012

The following constitutional amendments were approved by the SkillsUSA board of directors during the March meeting and will be voted on by the House of Delegates during NLSC in June.

Proposed Constitution amendment – High School Constitution

Currently reads:
ARTICLE VI-QUALIFICATIONS FOR NATIONAL OFFICE
Section 3. No state is eligible to provide the national president for two consecutive years.

Proposed reading:
ARTICLE VI-QUALIFICATIONS FOR NATIONAL OFFICE
Delete Section 3 and renumber Section 4 and Section 5 as Section 3 and Section 4 respectively

Proposed Constitution amendment – Postsecondary Constitution

Currently reads:
ARTICLE VI-QUALIFICATIONS FOR NATIONAL OFFICE
Section 3 No state is eligible to provide the national president for two consecutive years and each state will be allowed only two candidates for national office per year.

Proposed reading:
ARTICLE VI-QUALIFICATIONS FOR NATIONAL OFFICE
Section 3 Each state will be allowed only two candidates for national office per year.

Rationale for both amendments:
When officers were elected by position, those states with large memberships – and therefore high delegate counts – could dominate officer elections. This meant the president could come from the same state for several successive years and that is why this language was inserted in the constitution. With the change to election of officers at-large with specific positions decided by the elected officers themselves, this wording is no longer needed in the constitution.

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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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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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