State Championship Success for SkillsUSA Students at South High School in Downers Grove, Three Top Three Finishers

At the SkillsUSA Illinois State Championships held on April 14-16 in Springfield, Illinois, students from South High School in Downers Grove were successful in the “Architectural CAD,” “3D Design and Animation,” and “Job Interview” competitions.

The following students placed in the top ten of “Architectural CAD” competitors:

• Chris Behnke – 4^th Place
• Michael Hoffman – 10^th Place
• Jackson Turner  – 9^th Place
• Sergiu Smerica – 7^th Place
• Michael Szubinski - 8^th Place
• Cheyney Tschopp - 6^th Place
• Dan Vurpillat - 2^nd Place

The team of Luis Salgado and Chris Whitt received 4^th Place in the “3D Design and Animation” competition--the highest finish by South High students in school history.

Two students competed in the “Job Interview” competition against 60 other qualifiers from around the state. South High placed in the top two:

• Allison Koch was the State Champion of Illinois and national qualifier; she has qualified to compete in National SkillsUSA championships in Kansas City this summer.
• Dijana Siljanoska - 2^nd Place

“We are so proud of all 32students for their strong performances, and to Allison, Dijana and Dan who placed in the top of their categories,” says South High School Teacher Mark Molinari. “Beyond the results, I was proud to receive so many compliments on our students’ conduct, which is one of the highest measures of a student’s future success.”