We will be using the hashtag #NLSC12 for the 2012 National Leadership and Skills Conference. Be sure to include it in your conference tweets.
Champions 5K Run Location Change
June 15th, 2012Sponsored by Stanley Black & Decker and the SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends Association, we will be holding the fifth annual Champions 5K Run in Kansas City during the National Leadership and Skills Conference. This year, the race takes place on Wednesday, June 27, at 9 a.m. at English Landing Park in Parkville, Mo.
Transportation to the park will be provided from the Convention Center at 8 a.m. (students can shuttle from hotels to the Convention Center on Wednesday morning and then ride a designated bus to the 5K race or use private transportation). This year, we are adding fun hand-tool challenges testing accuracy, coordination and endurance during the race thanks to sponsor, Stanley Black & Decker.
Registration is $20 per person and includes a unique t-shirt. Awards will be presented to the first 300 finishers. And, a Stanley Black & Decker prize pack will be given to the fastest male and female.
For more information, please visit: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumni5k.shtml. Participants may register online or at the Alumni TECHSPO Booth. Contact Niki Clausen with questions at nclausen@skillsusa.org or 703-737-0639.
Assistance for Shipping of Contest Awards
June 15th, 2012We have secured assistance for Wednesday night to help those contest medal winners who receive heavy, bulky or a lot of industry awards. There will be a designated UPS shipping area at Kemper Arena and it will be announced to the state directors on Saturday, June 23rd. The advisors, or designated state representatives, can meet the medal winners at that UPS location to assist.
SkillsUSA is working with the UPS Store at 4741 Central, Kansas City, MO 64112. The store is located at the Country Club Plaza at the corner of Central and Ward Parkway. Telephone: 816-561-3226. Their email is store4249@theupsstore.com. They will accept credit cards, checks and cash as payment. Please pass the word to your advisors.
NLSC Mobile Site
June 14th, 2012We have updated the mobile conference site which is designed for viewing on cell phones.
The site is not intended to replace the printed program or our regular website, but rather is a supplement with general information about NLSC. Please share it with others in your state. Just keep in mind that it is not a comprehensive conference site.
The address is www.skillsusa.org/mobilenlsc/
Highlights
May 31st, 2012- It appears we’ll be having a record-breaking conference too. National conference registration is now 9,924. Total registration (not counting Courtesy Corps) last year was 9,527. Membership staff members say they believe we’re going to exceed last year’s total in part because of the number of hotel rooms states are adding to house their delegations this year.
- On May 4, we held a Day of Service here at the National Leadership Center. Most of the staff was on hand to help in painting, landscaping, cleaning, organizing and polishing around the center. The SkillsUSA Toyota van was cleaned and polished inside and out and the SkillsUSA sign on Route 15 got a fresh coat of red, white and blue paint. The place looks great.
Got Champions?
May 31st, 2012
At the national conference, the staff of SkillsUSA Champions magazine will be on the lookout for interview subjects and cover models. If you know of a SkillsUSA student, advisor, industry representative or alumnus who will be at conference and whose story would be motivating and inspirational, please email Tom Hall at thall@skillsusa.org. He’ll then set up a specific time to meet with the magazine staff.
In addition, if you have a student who is going and could be a potential cover model, there will be designated “photo studio” hours. Please let Tom know and he will contact you with the available times. Four students’ photos will be chosen to appear on SkillsUSA Champions covers next year. The remaining photos will appear in various materials, from the membership poster to other promotions. Our magazine staff looks forward to meeting your Champions at conference!
Live Webcast from NLSC
May 31st, 2012Once again, SkillsUSA will broadcast the pre-event activities and the entire opening and awards ceremonies online from the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City. This live streaming video will give family, friends and sponsors the opportunity to watch the keynote speakers and see students as they receive their awards.
Please pass the word to advisors, students and family of conference attendees. The sessions will be broadcast here: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml. SkillsUSA’s Web streaming from the NLSC is sponsored by Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
National Courtesy Corps Auction Reminder
May 30th, 2012We need everyone’s help with the National Courtesy Corps annual auction. As you know, every year, the national Conference Management Team – Auction Committee collects items to be auctioned that help raise money for the National Courtesy Corps. The Auction will be held on Wednesday, June 27th, in Lobby 2200, Room 2215C, Bartle Hall, Kansas City Convention Center, beginning at 11 a.m.
We urge instructors to donate items, possibly student projects from their schools. All of this helps with expenses incurred as a result of having the valuable talents of the Courtesy Corps at our disposal during the NLSC. If you have items you would like to donate for the auction, please either mail them to the attention of NCC Auction, c/o Byekwaso Gilbert, SkillsUSA, 1100 Main Street, Suite 2200, Kansas City, MO 64105-2040, or you can also leave donated items with the national conference registration staff in Lobby 2100, Room 2103A of the Kansas City Convention Center when registering your state delegation. If you have questions, please contact Byekwaso Gilbert at bgilbert@skillsusa.org.
Tennessee was the Next Stop on the State Conference “Mega Tour”
May 15th, 2012I attended a wonderful Tennessee state conference that filled the downtown Chattanooga Convention Center and several satellite sites, April 23-25. The high school and college/postsecondary associations run parallel conferences in the same facility, but hold separate opening banquets and awards ceremonies. On Monday evening, Carol Myers, SkillsUSA Tennessee high school association state director, and corporate member, Sue Tucker, managed a banquet for nearly 1,400 high school participants. The state officer team did a great job running the show. Carl Creasman, college/postsecondary state association director and his officer team hosted an opening banquet the following evening for nearly 500 participants. Board member James King, and national officer, Jeremy Ballentine, were both key parts of the ceremonies. James King certainly had everyone’s attention when he presented a brand new car to the outstanding student of the year.
I keynoted both banquets. Also speaking was Bill Prince, a native of Tennessee, a former national staff member and special advisor to President Reagan. Bill spoke about his participation at the founding of VICA in Nashville in 1965 and the founding of the postsecondary division in 1969. He was truly inspirational. It was also great to hear Danielle Mezera, the new assistant commissioner for CTE, speak at the high school division banquet. I had dinner with her and then toured the Championships floor – a mini national Championships in an exhibit hall – with her the following day. She promised to come to NLSC.
It was great to see Chip Harris at the conference. He is recovering well and promises to be at NLSC to chair the national Quiz Bowl contest. And, a giant thank you goes to Carol Myers and Carl Creasman for the excellent job at this year’s conference.
I also visited Columbus, Ohio for SkillsUSA Ohio’s 60th anniversary state conference. Mike Cowles said it was Ohio’s largest conference ever with 5,000 attending – including 2,200 competitors – and the event takes up the entire Ohio State Fair Grounds. I had lunch and great conversation with Steve Gratz, Ohio state CTE director, and met with Stan Heffner, state superintendent of education. Stan said the SkillsUSA Ohio conference is the “number one event on his calendar every year.”
Ohio had 50 state officer candidates and a huge delegate assembly. The election process was exciting and very intense. Ohio also had a run-off for several national officer candidates. Being elected as a state officer in Ohio is a very prestigious position and one that garners a lot of attention. The current state and national officers on the Ohio stage did a magnificent job of running the show. A big thank you goes out to State Association Director, Mike Cowles, and his management team for their leadership and for such a high quality event.
NLSC Travel Scholarships Announced
May 14th, 2012The mikeroweWORKS Foundation, in partnership with SkillsUSA, is proud to announce a new scholarship opportunity for SkillsUSA members who have competed and placed first in their state association competition. Get the details here: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/mikerowe2.shtml. A total of 50 $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. The application deadline is June 1.
