Students in the Western Arkansas Technical Center at the University of Arkansas –
Fort Smith won a total of 14 medals – 7 of them gold medals – in the 2016 Arkansas
SkillsUSA Championships.
Awards were given in the secondary division and included gold, silver and bronze medals for first, second and third places.
Award winners were:
Alma: Jacob Bolding, Alma High School, silver in Welding Fabrication (team of 3); Hunter McDermid, Alma High School, silver in Welding Fabrication (team of 3); Chase Pearson, silver in Welding Fabrication (team of 3).
Booneville: Elizabeth Chrisman, Booneville High School, gold in Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 3); Debbie Robertson, Booneville High School, gold in Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 3).
Fort Smith: Lauren Hoover, Southside High School, gold in Preschool Teaching Assistant; Rachael Keomany, Northside High School, gold in Nurse Assisting; James Sangster, Northside High School, gold in Technical Computer Applications; Kayla Tucker, Southside High School, bronze in Prepared Speech.
Greenwood: Kristen Keene, Greenwood High School, silver in Preschool Teaching Assistant.
Van Buren: Haley Rains, Van Buren High School, gold in Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 3).
Waldron: Jeana Lovett, Waldron High School, gold in Basic Healthcare Skills; Nikkita Sandifer, Waldron High School, silver in Medical Math; Morgan Schafer, Waldron High School, silver in First Aid/CPR.
In addition to the medals, WATC gold medal winners receive a four-year $1,000 scholarship to attend UAFS.
SkillsUSA is a national organization for both high school and college students. The organization is designed to provide quality educational experiences for students enrolled in technical, skilled and service programs.
The Western Arkansas Technical Center at UAFS is an area secondary center serving a five-county area. WATC provides area high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to earn college credits in automotive technology, computer-aided drafting and design, criminal justice, early childhood education, electronics technology, engineering, graphic design, health sciences, information technology and welding technology.