Salem Students Attend SkillsUSA State Conference

SALEM, MA — Six Salem High School students attended the recent SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference in Marlborough, which serves as a platform for technical education students to showcase skills and leadership ability, foster camaraderie and compete among peers.

Of the attendees, junior Janay Newton and freshman Yanalis Venutra were chosen as the first Salem High School students to serve as national noting delegates at the national conference. They will travel to that conference in Atlanta in June.

The other SHS students at the state conference were junior Kaelyn Eaton and freshmen Enatu Hall, Kailyn Ricciarelli and Olivia Warren.

Newton is the chapter president of SkillsUSA at Salem High School.

"During my time at the SkillsUSA States Leadership and Skills Conference, I learned that I will always be a part of something great because it's all about the students,” Newton said. "It is called a student organization for a reason. SkillsUSA is important because it builds relationships with leaders from other schools, encourages self-improvement while forming a tighter bond with my leadership group, and just having fun.

"SkillsUSA is not only about winning or losing in competitions but also about gaining new skills and better training for employment possibilities. I am excited for myself and the other SHS chapter officers to continue building our SkillsUSA chapter as we pave the way for upcoming SHS leaders to attend these amazing conferences."

The National SkillsUSA Delegate Program engages state-identified delegates to represent their respective state associations in introducing, debating, modifying, and voting upon delegate items that may include organization bylaws and the SkillsUSA national officer elections.

"Salem High School takes immense pride in its students' achievements and remains committed to nurturing future leaders through initiatives like SkillsUSA," said Mario Sousa, CTE Director and Coop Coordinator. "We're thrilled that Janay and Yanalis will be representing SHS on a national level."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)