Students headed to nationals

Two students from the Central Educational Center’ (CEC) will be competing in this summer’s SkillsUSA national championships in Kansas City, Missouri.

Breanne Thompson (Central Educational Center, Northgate High School) won first place in Graphics Communications at this year’s SkillsUSA Georgia competitions and Lauren Veal (Central Educational Center, Newnan High School) won first place in Early Childhood Education.

The two CEC students were among 1,876 competitors from 168 chapters across Georgia to compete in this year’s SkillsUSA 2014 Georgia event, held in Atlanta on March 13-15. They were among 10 team members from Central Educational Center who competed in the state SkillsUSA contests, said school system spokesman Dean Jackson.

Thompson and Veal will compete in the 2014 SkillsUSA Championships held in Kansas City, Missouri, June 22-27, as part of SkillsUSA’s 50th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC). The Coweta students will be among more than 6,000 career and technical education students, all state contest winners, who are expected to compete in 99 different trade, technical and leadership fields at the national conference, Jackson said.

Jackson said the annual SkillsUSA Georgia’s conference provides Georgia’s best and brightest high school career and technical education students the opportunity to take the skills, knowledge and experience that they have gained in their classrooms to a new level. Participating students excel at competition because they have received their education by being involved in high school programs throughout the state that focus on architecture, construction, communication, transportation, culinary arts, personal care services and public safety.

CEC students have competed in several SkillsUSA national trials in recent years, Jackson said, in areas such as state medal winners in web design, flight operations, early childhood education, 3D animation, computer maintenance, technical computer applications, commercial baking, culinary arts, advertising design, first-aid and CPR, welding and dental assisting competitions.