KDSS student wins small-powered engine skills challenge at regional event

Declan Mowle of Kincardine District Secondary School won the small-powered engine category at the 13th annual Regional Technological Skills Challenge, held Friday in Owen Sound.

Several high school students with the Bluewater District School Board, enrolled in technological education courses, joined other students from across the region to showcase their talents. More than 100 students registered to compete in eight categories judged by experts hailing from a diverse range of trades-related industries in the area.

The results for Bluewater District School Board students are as follows:

Automotive
1^st – Denver Johnson - John Diefenbaker Senior School (JDSS)
2^nd – Lucas Dillman - Grey Highlands Secondary School (GHSS)
3^rd – Zachery Sprung - Owen Sound District Secondary School (OSDSS)

Carpentry – Team of Two
1^st – Dillon Raey and Mark Brillinger – JDSS
2^nd – Alex Paylor and Brayden Kaufman - JDSS
3^rd – Ethan Cameron and Kevin Furgal - Bruce Peninsula District School (BPDS)

Culinary
1^st – Ryann Worthington - OSDSS
2^nd – Jazmyn Munn - Saugeen District Secondary School (SDSS)
3^rd – Alexandra Nixon - Peninsula Shores District School (PSDS)

Electrical Wiring
1^st – Colton Heipel - SDSS
2^nd – Ashton Nearingburg – BPDS
3^rd – Nolan Marshall - JDSS

Hairstyling
1^st – Kat Kool - OSDSS
2^nd – Ariel Fletcher - OSDSS
3^rd – Hannah Borland - OSDSS

Precision Machining
3^rd – William DeBoer - OSDSS

Small-Powered Equipment
1^st – Declan Mowle - Kincardine District Secondary School (KDSS)
2^nd – Sheldon Becker - JDSS

Welding
1^st – Tanner Winget - GHSS
2^nd – Brendan Knights - GHSS

Fifteen Bluewater students advance to compete at the Skills Ontario Qualifying Competition in Barrie, April 1. There are also more than 20 additional Bluewater students who have qualified as direct entry competitors for the Ontario Technological Skills Competition in Toronto, May 2-3.

Last year, Bluewater students who advanced to the provincial challenge won three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. One of those students also represented Ontario at the national event in New Brunswick, winning silver.

The Regional Technological Skills Challenge is organized each year by the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. The organizers appreciate the many community sponsors, 47 judges and volunteers, as well as the technology teachers in every school who make this event possible. Their overwhelming support allows students from across Bruce and Grey counties to explore, compete and pursue careers in the skilled trades.