Sussex Tech celebrates SkillsUSA Week Feb. 10 to 16 during CTE Month

SkillsUSA members at Sussex Technical High School are celebrating SkillsUSA Week Feb. 10 to 16 in conjunction with National Career and Technical Education Month.  Sussex Tech's Student Activities Coordinator Dan Zakrociemski is in charge of SkillsUSA activities at Sussex Tech, where students have been active in leadership and skills competition in order to qualify for state contests in March that will give them the opportunity to win scholarships during national competition in Kansas City, Mo., in June.

Sussex Tech’s electronics teacher Dennis Smith was honored last year as the Delaware Advisor of the Year. Smith has been teaching at Sussex Tech since 2000. While a high school student, he was the SkillsUSA/VICA president of his technical class. In 1975, when SkillsUSA/VICA was only 8 years old, Smith competed in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies competition in Florida. Sixty-two Sussex Tech students earned medals in last year’s state competition, and 24 qualified for national competition.

Two of the Sussex Tech students who qualified for national competition last year were also selected to be officers of the State SkillsUSA Leadership Team. Senior Paige Robinson is the state treasurer. She studies early childhood education. She participated in the national Chapter Business Procedures contest. Paige also participates in Sussex Tech’s Key Club, Pep Club, and softball, volleyball and cheerleading. Senior Stephen Mervine Jr. is a vice president on the State Leadership Team. He studies media broadcasting and communications and participated two times in the Broadcast News Production contest in Kansas City, where he placed third and fourth nationally. Stephen interns at WKNZ 88.7 radio in Milford. He is very active in his local 4-H club and church. He helped organize a recent mission trip to Kenya to install a water purification system in an orphanage. Stephen also enjoys drumming in the school’s Raven Nation Drum Corps as well as throwing discus and bowling.

SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled and service occupations in high schools, colleges and technical schools. SkillsUSA has more than 305,000 members annually, organized into 13,000 chapters and 54 state and territorial associations including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

SkillsUSA prepares America’s high-performance workers. It provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills. It emphasizes total quality at work, high ethical standards, superior work skills, lifelong education and pride in the dignity of work. SkillsUSA also promotes understanding of the free enterprise system and involvement in community service activities. For more information go to www.skillsusa.org.

ç provides CTE programs across the country an opportunity to demonstrate how CTE helps students to be college- and career-ready and prepares them for high-wage, high-demand career fields. At a time when job opportunity is so critical, CTE programs in every community are ensuring students are adequately equipped with the skills to successfully enter the workforce.

Sussex Tech invites the public to visit the school during CTE Month to learn more about Career and Technical Education. To schedule an appointment, call Sussex Tech’s Community/Business and Industry Liaison Joe Booth at 302-856-0961.