Choffin goes to SkillsUSA

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Thirty-three Choffin Career and Technical Center students are traveling to a state SkillsUSA Competition in Columbus.

Kristy Olinik, Choffin public-safety instructor, said seven of those students placed in the gold ranking in Opening and Closing Ceremony at regionals earlier this year at Trumbull County Career and Technical Center.

Opening and Closing Ceremony is for the evaluation of the contestants’ understanding of the symbolic representation of the colors and assembled parts of the SkillsUSA emblem, Olinik explained. It evaluates teamwork and professional presentation skills.

Those students included: Ty’Shawn Rutledge, Javier Rodriguez, Kimberly Agosto, Kiarlis Morales, Antwan Dabney, Marquan Stevenson and JaQuan Mitchell.

In addition, Darnell Lewis received the bronze ranking in his public-safety competition.

“They all spent several weeks getting prepared and really worked hard to set a high standard,” Olinik said.

Rutledge said beyond having the opportunity to show off his best skills, “the experience is an opportunity to better yourself.”

“You get to meet new people doing the same stuff as us and see how they do something which may be in a better way,” he said.

Olinik said she has nothing but pride for her students.

“I expect the hard work to pay off in Columbus,” she said.

The students will be at the SkillsUSA competition from Monday through Wednesday.