7 Stafford High Students Excel At VA SkillsUSA Leadership Conference

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Seven students from Stafford High School students earned medals during the 59th SkillsUSA Virginia State Leadership Conference, which took place April 19-21 in Virginia Beach.

SkillsUSA is a workforce development organization that helps middle school and high and students to become skilled professionals and career-ready leaders.

As part of the annual leadership conference, students present projects that demonstrate the mastery of their particular skills. Medals are presented to the best projects in each of the career or skill categories.

Here are the seven medalists from the Stafford High School:

Gold Medalists:

• Haley White - Architectural Drafting
• Sam Chapman - Carpentry

Silver Medalist:

• Nathan Marx - Technical Drafting

Bronze Medalists:

• Juliet Meyer & Patrick McOsker - Additive Manufacturing
• Tre Gorham - Carpentry
• Stefani Duran Cerritos - Poster
• Kayla Hamburger - Technical Drafting

"It was such a pleasure to witness the achievements of Stafford High School's students at the SkillsUSA Virginia State Leadership Conference first-hand. Their projects are a testament to their hard work, talent, and the guidance of our dedicated educators,” said Dr. Thomas W. Taylor, superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools. “These accomplishments also demonstrate our commitment to ensuring every student is Prepared to Excel."

Stafford High School student Karlie Schalk was elected to the SkillsUSA Virginia State Office, with Sam Chapman and Tre Gorham serving as voting delegates.

As a further recognition of their leadership skills, Stafford High students Sam Chapman, Karlie Schalk and Haley White will represent Virginia at the upcoming 59th SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, which is scheduled for June.

In Addition, Angela Candela, Ryan Cooper, Dan Harding, John Irby, Robert Jett, Yumi Zink, and Greg Zook, as well as other instructors, provided support to their students throughout the conference.