FUHS students sweep VICA Regionals

Eighteen Fallbrook Union High School Skills USA students won awards on Saturday, February 5, at the annual VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America) Regional Competition at Bloomington High School in Riverside County. The award winners qualified for the state competition, which will be held at the Riverside Convention Center April 14 through 17.

At the VICA Regional Competition, the students were accompanied by Skills USA advisors Kevin Karnes and John Buehman, as well as parent Chris Hedrick and local business owner Horst Krippener.

Some of the students have been preparing for competition for years, but for some of them it is their first semester. For students to compete regionally they must prepare a portfolio, which includes a cover letter, resume, job application, letters of recommendation and a job sample. The students also compete in a hands-on project competition and are required to take a written test.

More students placed this year than in the recent past and, aside from the obvious hard work on the part of both the instructors and the students, the instructors attribute it to the fact that the school sent more students, including a new automotive repair team.

Both instructors beam when they speak of their students’ accomplishments. “We are definitely proud of them,” said Karnes. “We do this for the kids. It’s great to see them get recognition in an arena that is very positive.”

“They are up against the best of the best and we are proud of them,” added Buehman.

The students are not only developing industrial and technical skills, they are developing social skills that will help them succeed in the business world.

“The dress code at both the regional competition and the state competition is an exercise in business world dressing,” said Buehman. No shorts and flip-flops here! “They must wear jackets

, black pants, a white shirt and leather shoes,” said Karnes. “They have to present themselves as professionals — this is expanding their world and getting them ready for work.”

The competition days are not all work and no play. At a slack time in the competition the two instructors take the students to a park where they play tennis, even if the students have never played tennis in their lives. Buehman and Karnes both agreed that in the business world they will be urged to participate in company activities and even this activity helps the students to develop social skills.

The metal shop students have a large facility in which to train. Business owner Horst Krippener lends his expertise to the students and has helped greatly with the program. “The students think of him as a grandpa,” said Buehman, who is the metal shop instructor.

In addition to the welding equipment provided, the metal shop students use large lathes for ‘turning’ and shaping metal pieces. The shop also houses a foundry in which the students learn to cast metal with the many molds provided. The crucible with molten metal is lifted by the instructor, however, to avoid any dangerous situations.

Gold Medallists

Matt Brader — Oxy-Acetylene Welding

Ian Quigley — MIG welding

Craig Fisher — Automotive Service Technology

Rob Hatton — Automotive Service Technology

Bruce Gaffney — Automotive Service Technology

Gregory Marshall — Automotive Service Technology

Jason Kott — Motorcycle Service Technology

Cort Hedrick — Precision Machine I

Ashley Laughlin — Architectural CAD

Corey Myers — Architectural CAD

Sean Lamont — Architectural CAD

Tom Pollinger — Technical CAD

Jared Huntington — Electronics Technology

Silver Medallists

Jennifer Lutnick — Intro. CAD

Marco Sotelo — Intro. CAD