About 300 students from the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) competed Tuesday, February 25 at the 2020 Eastern Ontario SKLZ competition, held at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall.
The event, run in partnership with St. Lawrence College, is held annually to showcase the value of the trades and celebrate the accomplishments of students skilled in them. The goal is to encourage students to consider the trades as a career, said Ashley Grant, a co-convener of the event.
This year, UCDSB students competed in 11 events: individual carpentry, carpentry team of 2, home building (team of 4 carpentry), cabinet making, automotive service technician, small powered equipment, welding, photography, environment, TV/video production and drama.
Co-convener Lauren Levac said attendance by UCDSB students was up 50 per cent this year, largely due to a concerted effort by organizers to promote the competition.
Top competitors at the event either qualified for the Skills Ontario Competition, to be held in Toronto May 4-6, or advanced to the regional qualifier in Kingston on April 4 in hopes of qualifying for the provincials.
Two students from North Grenville District High School advanced to the regional competition in Kingston April 4, Rogan Beechey and Malina Vallee, gold, TV/video production.
