Several Warsaw Area Career Center programs were highlighted during the Warsaw School Board meeting Tuesday as they recently participated in competitions.
Ben Barkey, WACC director and principal, said over the last month, both the welding and cosmetology programs have competed in multiple competitions and done very well.
Welding instructor Jeremiah Paseka said there were about 35 welding students at the third annual Northern Indiana Welding and Machining Contest in March. Whitney Dawson took first and Eliza Paton took second in the advanced division.
Recently, eight students in the welding program also had an out-of-state competition at the Kentucky Welding Institute. Dawson was one the students competing, winning the precision cutting competition. There were 150 students competing that day representing 14 states.
Paseka said students in the program are learning some real-life skills.
Board President Heather Reichenbach asked who is judging the competitions. Paseka said at the local competition, there are a lot of business partners that step in. One of the judges is former instructor Chris Morr.
Manufacturing teacher Matt Alexander said machining students were able to compete in the Northern Indiana Welding and Machining Contest. For the machining side, the seven WACC students had to be offered a chance to compete. The competition is for high-level students. During the competition, students received a blueprint the day of the competition, which are “kind of extreme for the time they’re given.”
Patrick Boggs won first place and Alyzah Guerra won second, Alexander said.
Industry partners come in and partner with students to give the students advice and tips during the competition. Alexander said the benefits are to help make connections and allow students to ask questions from potential employers.
Guerra said the competition was a really good chance to connect with people and see people who they can interact with in their future careers. It also gave students a chance to understand how those business partners could help the students grow in their learning.
Tina Streby, cosmetology instructor, said the cosmetology program was invited to the Great Clips Competition at the Michiana Beauty College in Mishawaka.
Last year, one student placed. This year, Warsaw Community School students took four of the top five places. Claire Waddle placed first, Hazel Wood placed second, Betty Shepherd placed fourth and Taryn Haines placed fifth. Wood won a $2,000 scholarship from Great Clips. Wood won a $1,000 scholarship. Shepherd won $150. Haines won $100. All four students received swivel sheers.
Wood said students had to choose a picture to style a haircut on a mannequin after. They had about two weeks to practice before the competition. Haines said she entered the competition the Friday before it happened, so she didn’t have the same amount of time to practice.
Streby said a lot of the regional managers were judging the competition. Judging was based on how well students cut and styled the haircut based on the picture.
“It was all about their technique and the tools they used,” she said, noting the more tools the students used, the more points the students received.