ROCKLAND — Mid-Coast School of Technology held a successful SkillsUSA In-House Competition on December 9 and 10. SkillsUSA is a national student organization that connects students with teachers, industry, and post-secondary institutions in an effort to create good leaders and a skilled workforce.

Each year Mid-Coast holds in-house competitions. Traditionally, contests are led and judged by outside industry members. Students from in-house competitions are then able to attend and compete in the Maine SkillsUSA contests with their peers from across the state. Winners from the state competitions are then eligible to compete at the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in June.

With leadership from advisors Brandon Soards and Danica Wooster, there was greater participation and excitement than the previous year, according to MCST, in a news release. All programs participated in the two day event, where teachers created challenges for each class. Some challenges had students using knowledge and skills they had already learned, while others reached beyond to see what the students could do without exposure.

“We had a lot of good learning moments,” said Mr. Soards, when talking about the school-wide event.

For two days the building was energized with excitement, creativity, and hard work and it was evident in the products produced by students, said MCST. On the second day, SkillsUSA Maine Executive Director, Hal Casey visited the contests throughout the building. While each program did not necessarily prescribe to the corresponding SkillUSA contests, Mr. Casey was happy to see the teachers’ creativity in providing great opportunities and experiences for students.

“You should be proud of not only your great students, but also the caring and dedicated staff,” said Casey. “You can tell when visiting the programs, not only how much they know, but how much they care about sharing their talents with their students.”