Sunday, July 6, 2008
Nationals! from the advisor perspective....
As I look back at the week at Kansas City for the SkillsUSA National Competition I can without a doubt say it was one of the most powerful experiences I have had as an educator and one that was most impactful to me personally and also for my students.
Alyssa Ailion was competing in the Graphic Communications competition and Olivia Goodall was competing in Screen Printing Technology both representing Georgia. The girls have worked very hard in preparing for the competition and will be a memory that I am sure they will never forget.
It was truly overwhelming how much industry support was represented at the convention center and all over the downtown streets as several were blocked off for the event. Lowes, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Stanley, just to name a few of the more prominent ones and hundreds of others I have no idea the cost, but this was a multi-million event to orchestrate. Over 90 competitions, most held in one gigantic center that seemed to spread for several city blocks all under one roof. It is a site that would make anyone's jaw drop.
We not only came to compete, but were able to network with others from around the country and share ideas as students met with each other from around the country as well. We were able to tour a little as I got to go on a tour of the Kansas Speedway and also participate in the Champions Run, a 5K race that helped me do a little exercise while being out of town. We got to go to an amusement park, a teen festival and just had a great time.
The Graphic Communications competition as well as the Screen Printing competition were both run extremely smoothly, very professional, top notch equipment, supplies, tools, etc. It was without a doubt a site to see. For Graphics computers were setup up, 6 Heidelberg Quickmasters, cutter, 2 folders were set up for the contestants to use. Screen Printing as well had pretty much a full "lab" 2 presses, exposure units, washout booth, scoop coaters, etc. etc.
I am so proud of Alyssa and the work ethic that she has is truly commendable. The hours she put in after school during the month of June (as she mentions in her blog) paid off as she took 2nd in the nation. She and the 1st place winner were 7 points apart (out of 1000), the 3rd place winner was around 75 points away. It was a very challenging competition. Not a bad way to end your high school career.
I was also proud of Olivia who took 10th in the nation in Screen Printing. It was a very intense competition as well. I hope to make the trip out here next year as well.
Every Technology educator needs to experience an opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA Nationals at some point in their career. It will be something you will never forget. To the Technology educators out there, ...If not Nationals, at least get your students involved locally in SkillsUSA, for leadership development, regional competitions, and their professional development. I see it as a tremendous disservice to our students to NOT encourage them and be a part of SkillsUSA.
Give the students an opportunity and allow whoever chooses to rise to the top and help them do it! That's why we do what we do!
I look forward to seeing many new advisors jump on board as we get into a new school year with new opportunities for both students and educators for both personal and professional development.
Dan Campagna
Dan Campagna, NBCT
Graphic Arts Teacher
Walton High School
1590 Bill Murdock Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062
770-578-3225 ext. 290
daniel.campagna@cobbk12.org
Alyssa Ailion was competing in the Graphic Communications competition and Olivia Goodall was competing in Screen Printing Technology both representing Georgia. The girls have worked very hard in preparing for the competition and will be a memory that I am sure they will never forget.
It was truly overwhelming how much industry support was represented at the convention center and all over the downtown streets as several were blocked off for the event. Lowes, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Stanley, just to name a few of the more prominent ones and hundreds of others I have no idea the cost, but this was a multi-million event to orchestrate. Over 90 competitions, most held in one gigantic center that seemed to spread for several city blocks all under one roof. It is a site that would make anyone's jaw drop.
We not only came to compete, but were able to network with others from around the country and share ideas as students met with each other from around the country as well. We were able to tour a little as I got to go on a tour of the Kansas Speedway and also participate in the Champions Run, a 5K race that helped me do a little exercise while being out of town. We got to go to an amusement park, a teen festival and just had a great time.
The Graphic Communications competition as well as the Screen Printing competition were both run extremely smoothly, very professional, top notch equipment, supplies, tools, etc. It was without a doubt a site to see. For Graphics computers were setup up, 6 Heidelberg Quickmasters, cutter, 2 folders were set up for the contestants to use. Screen Printing as well had pretty much a full "lab" 2 presses, exposure units, washout booth, scoop coaters, etc. etc.
I am so proud of Alyssa and the work ethic that she has is truly commendable. The hours she put in after school during the month of June (as she mentions in her blog) paid off as she took 2nd in the nation. She and the 1st place winner were 7 points apart (out of 1000), the 3rd place winner was around 75 points away. It was a very challenging competition. Not a bad way to end your high school career.
I was also proud of Olivia who took 10th in the nation in Screen Printing. It was a very intense competition as well. I hope to make the trip out here next year as well.
Every Technology educator needs to experience an opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA Nationals at some point in their career. It will be something you will never forget. To the Technology educators out there, ...If not Nationals, at least get your students involved locally in SkillsUSA, for leadership development, regional competitions, and their professional development. I see it as a tremendous disservice to our students to NOT encourage them and be a part of SkillsUSA.
Give the students an opportunity and allow whoever chooses to rise to the top and help them do it! That's why we do what we do!
I look forward to seeing many new advisors jump on board as we get into a new school year with new opportunities for both students and educators for both personal and professional development.
Dan Campagna
Dan Campagna, NBCT
Graphic Arts Teacher
Walton High School
1590 Bill Murdock Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062
770-578-3225 ext. 290
daniel.campagna@cobbk12.org
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Nationals!!!!!
The SkillsUSA national competition was quite an experience. Upon arriving at the Hilton, I found that all the Georgia members stayed in one hotel. I shared a room with 3 other girls, who were all a ton of fun!! Everyone in Kansas City was excited to see the SkillsUSA kids. The convention center was in walking distance from the hotel and the city was beautiful. One of the most interesting things I got to do in Kansas City was meet people from all over the country. The convention center is HUGE, it is amazing how many companies come out and support the competitions. Anyone who ever has a chance to go out there should, it truly is incredible. When you walk into the competition room, as far as you can see there are students, the best of the best, working hard. I competed against about 35 people, and they were all talented. One girl I talked to even had a grandfather who owned a printing company. They were a great group of kids, and all very nice. The competition itself was difficult; I had to use everything I had learned not only in the past month but in my whole career in graphic arts. Some things were completely new and I had to figure them out using prior knowledge.One of the biggest things you can see at the national competition is the massive amount of industry support. At the opening ceremony Lowe’s even donated $1,000,000!!! Overall the national competition was very similar to the state competition, so I was very well prepared. Something else that came as a surprise to me was the SkillsUSA ceremony. They closely resemble a rock concert, with music, lights, and tons of energy. All in all my hard work paid off and I placed 2nd in the nation! After checking the scores, I found out that the difference between 1st and 2nd place was only 7 points out of 1000, talk about a close competition. It really goes to show that every point counts. In conclusion, I had a great time, learned a lot from this experience, and would like to thank everyone once again for all of their help and support.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Congratulations Alyssa! 2nd in the Nation!!!
We just got the word Friday night that Alyssa took 2nd in the Nation! Congratulations. She has worked so hard. Reports say the competition was very stiff this year -- which makes this achievement even more wonderful. We'll have a full report next week and hopefully some pictures from the winner's circle.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
From Paul Davis, Instructor at DeKalb Tech....
Alyssa and I met last week to do some training in Adobe InDesign CS3 where she is a quick learner. We met in Dan Campagna's lab at Walton high school during summer break (how's that for Alyssa's commitment). Alyssa should do well in the pre-press portion of the competition. I wish her all the luck.
Alyssa and I met last week to do some training in Adobe InDesign CS3 where she is a quick learner. We met in Dan Campagna's lab at Walton high school during summer break (how's that for Alyssa's commitment). Alyssa should do well in the pre-press portion of the competition. I wish her all the luck.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Final Stretch
Well, I leave for Kansas City next Monday! Yesterday was my last day at American Color Graphics. I really appreciate all the help they have been. As I told Mr. Mooney, the staff there is incredible. He's got a company full of very knowledgeable people who are dedicated to quality, and they did everything in their power to help me.
Today I met Mitch Bright at Heidelberg, and he trained me some more on the Printmaster 46. We printed two 4-color process jobs. Mitch was also very helpful, and i learned a lot from him.
Throughout this competition training in the past month I have met so many people, and everyone has been incredibly warmhearted and helpful. But some people have gone above and beyond, and I would like to thank them in this post.
Alyssa
Today I met Mitch Bright at Heidelberg, and he trained me some more on the Printmaster 46. We printed two 4-color process jobs. Mitch was also very helpful, and i learned a lot from him.
Throughout this competition training in the past month I have met so many people, and everyone has been incredibly warmhearted and helpful. But some people have gone above and beyond, and I would like to thank them in this post.
- Sue Rodman, and everyone at PIAG, who pretty much put this whole thing together.
- Mr. Campagna, who has answered my endless questions and spent hours at school over the summer helping me.
- Mr. Butch Mooney who opened up his shop to me so I could learn all I wanted to learn.
- Paul, Joe, Kevin, Kenny, Tim and Barry over at American Color Graphics, who helped me along the way, taught me everything they know, and answered my many questions.
- Tim over at Semper International, who helped me prepare for the interview portion.
- Paul Davis at DeKalb Technical College who spent his Fridays helping me with prepress
- Mitch Bright, and everyone else helped me at Heidelberg, for spending time to help in the printing portion of the competition.
Alyssa
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Interviewing Skills with Semper International
Alyssa met this week at PIAG headquarters with Tim Captville, senior placement coordinator with Semper International, the only staffing and recruitment firm specializing in the printing industry.
Tim worked with Alyssa on her interviewing skills and beefing up her resume. PIAG staff held a mock interview with Alyssa after the training. She did great!
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