Six students from Minuteman High School Earn Medals at National SkillsUSA Conference

PHOTO CAPTION: Left to right - Adam Powell of Arlington (bronze medal in Web Design), Ethan Francis-Wright of Arlington (bronze medal in Web Design), Sean Datar of Acton (gold medal in Related Technical Math), Tyler Ferrin of Tewksbury (Career Pathways Showcase-Human Services), Benjamin Keaton of Concord (Career Pathways Showcase-Human Services), Brian Courtney, Jr. of West Roxbury (gold medal in Community Action Project), Collin Kelly of Sudbury (gold medal in Community Action Project). Not shown is Erin Noel of Medford, who earned a gold medal in the category of Employment Application Process. Photo by Clifford Keirstead.

By Judy Bass

Six students from Minuteman High School in Lexington earned medals at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, which took place from June 19-23, 2017, in Louisville, Ky. SkillsUSA is a national organization that allows students in career and technical education to compete in a host of rigorous technical and leadership competitions.

The medalists were Sean Datar ’17 of Acton, gold medal in Related Technical Math; Erin Noel ’18 of Medford, gold medal in Employment Application Process; Collin Kelly ’17 of Sudbury and Brian Courtney, Jr. ’17 of West Roxbury, gold medal in Community Action Project; and Adam Powell ’18 of Arlington and Ethan Francis-Wright ’18 of Arlington, bronze medal in Web Design.

“The students of Minuteman were the leaders for our state, winning more gold medals than any other school,” said Minuteman SkillsUSA Co-Advisor Clifford Keirstead.

To qualify for this event, the competitors had to earn gold medals at the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference held in Massachusetts in April. Twelve Minuteman students competed at the SkillsUSA National Conference.

Gold medalist Collin Kelly, who majored in Environmental Science at Minuteman and whose project was titled “Invasive Species and Pollinator Awareness,” said, “ I feel extremely proud of not only my team for winning medals, but for all the teams that competed for Minuteman. To be able to make it to the national level, let alone earn a medal, requires an enormous amount of effort. I hope that the competitors from Minuteman who have not yet graduated will be back again next year, and that the competitors who have graduated continue to stay involved as SkillsUSA alumni as I plan to do.”

Minuteman was established in the 1970s as one of more than two dozen regional-vocational technical high schools in Massachusetts. Over the years, the school has distinguished itself by building a reputation for excellence. Minuteman students consistently excel on the larger stage and have won numerous awards at state and national competitions. Minuteman challenges all students to revolutionize their high school expectations by aspiring to their full potential, accelerating their learning, and achieving success in the 21st-century global community.

Minuteman recently broke ground for a new 628-student high school consisting of two Career Academies supporting a total of 16 high-quality career and technical education programs. The new high school is planned for the Lincoln side of Minuteman’s property.