From May 5-7, 35 Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) students from across the Board travelled to Toronto to compete at the Skills Ontario provincial competitions.
Students were selected to represent TLDSB after being successful at the Board-wide qualifying competitions held earlier in the spring at I.E. Weldon Secondary School (IEWSS), and the Grade 7/8 Film qualifier competition, which was held virtually on April 16.
The first day of Skills is typically reserved for elementary competitions. TLDSB had intermediate teams competing in two competitions on Monday, May 5th. A team of two elementary students from Huntsville Public School, Cooper L. and Myles M., competed in the video/TV production competition, where they had approximately 6 hours to plan, film, edit, and present their product in a 90-second video. Another team of four elementary students competed in the construction competition and were tasked with building a small-scale house using limited materials, teamwork, and their engineering skills.
29 secondary students competed in various competitions, including auto collision repair, auto painting, auto service technology, baking, brick masonry, cabinet making, carpentry, computer numerical control (CNC) woodworking, electrical installations, electronics, entrepreneurship, floristry, graphic design, hairstyling, heavy equipment service, homebuilding, horticulture, job interview, landscape design, mechanical computer automated design (CAD), outdoor powered equipment, photography, precision machining, refrigeration, welding, and workplace safety.
Below are the results from the competitions:
Elementary
- Fenelon Township Public School students Bryanah Gruntz, Audrey Page, Andy Ramsay, and Landon Urquhart received a silver medal in the Grade 7/8 construction competition.
Secondary
- Huntsville High School (HHS) student, Ella Watson, received a silver medal in the baking competition.
- HHS student, Blake Willms, received a bronze medal in the brick masonry competition.
- HHS student, Wil Sinclair, received a gold medal in the electrical installations competition.
- IEWSS student, Gibson Baker, received a silver medal in the auto collision repair competition.
- IEWSS student, Alexander Hayden, received a bronze medal in the heavy equipment service competition.
- IEWSS students Cameron Cargill and Jonathan Turcotte received a silver medal in the horticulture and landscape competition.
All seven TLDSB secondary schools sent a bus of students, primarily those who identify as female, to watch the competitions, but also participate in one of the many hands-on activities available throughout the day.
“Students represented their school and the Board with class, and we are thrilled to come away with seven medals for TLDSB!” said SHSM consultant, Steve Spiers. “Regardless of their success at skills, students are cementing their passion for their trade and preparing for their future careers.”
Sinclair will be leaving for Regina, Saskatchewan, in late May as a member of Team Ontario to compete against the best high school student electricians in the country.
Congratulations to all students!
