Nine students place in top 10
Ten students represented Dakota County Technical College in nine competitions at the 50th Annual SkillsUSA National Championships June 23–27, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo., taking home four medals. Nine students placed in the top 10.
Elise Groenewold
Brian Warzeha, a student in the college’s Electrical Construction and Maintenance Technology program, won a silver medal in Related Technical Math. Richard Frascone, a student in the Automotive Technician program, and Elise Groenewold, a student in the Auto Body Collision Technology program, won bronze medals in two of the most competitive events at the championships, Automotive Service Technology and Collision Repair Technology. Groenewold was the first woman to ever break the top three in Collision Repair Technology. Margaret Speikers, a student in the Medical Assistant program, won a bronze medal in Medical Terminology. Rhonda Galloway, a student in the Photography program, received Best in Show for her work in the Photography competition.
Michael Crider, student life assistant, Dawn Braa, early childhood and youth development instructor, Darrell Tangen, photography instructor, Jeff Copeland, automotive technician instructor, and Gerry Rainford, auto body collision technology instructor, attended the nationals as SkillsUSA advisors. Numerous other DCTC faculty and staff helped prepare students for their competitions or provided support from home.
Brian Warzeha (first on right)
Richard Franscone (second from left)
Elise Groenewold (second from left)
Margaret Speikers (second from left)
DCTC competitors at SkillsUSA National Championships
- Brian Warzeha
- Related Technical Math
- Silver medal
- Richard Frascone
- Automotive Service Technology
- Bronze medal
- Elise Groenewold
- Collision Repair Technology
- Bronze medal
- Margaret Speikers
- Medical Terminology
- Bronze medal
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Rhonda Galloway, Best in Show, Photography
Maria Barrick
- Early Childhood
- 5th Place
- Clay Carlson
- 3D Visualization & Animation (team)
- 9th Place
- Tim Fink
- 3D Visualization & Animation (team)
- 9th place
- Rhonda Galloway
- Photography
- 9th place
- Joyce Mallery
- Customer Service
- 10th place
- Delbert (Floyd) Annis
- Prepared Speech
- 16th place
SkillsUSA Championships
The SkillsUSA Championships showcase the best career and technical students in the nation. Contests begin locally and continue through the state and national levels.
The multimillion-dollar national event occupies a space equivalent to 16 football fields. In 2013, nearly 6,000 contestants participated in 98 separate events. Approximately 1,500 judges and contest organizers from labor and management make the national event possible.
The philosophy of the SkillsUSA Championships is centered on:
- Rewarding students for excellence
- Directly involving industry in evaluating student performance
- Keeping training relevant to employer needs
— Courtesy of the SkillsUSA website
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View photos and get updates at DCTC SkillsUSA Facebook
For more information about SkillsUSA at DCTC, contact:
- Anna Voight
Assistant Director of Student Life
651-423-8649
