On Tuesday May 9, 2023, the Board of Education acknowledged and commended a group of outstanding students who achieved remarkable success in the DECA and SkillsUSA competitions as First Place State Winners and/or National Qualifiers. Among the first recognized were students from Cranberry Middle School who participated in the state SkillsUSA competition. Lucas Hudson, who competed in extemporaneous speech, will progress to the national level. Additionally, the school's opening and closing team, comprising Lilly Foster, Caitlin Shapiro, Alma Hernandez, Amy Heaton, and Lila Holtsclaw, secured the first-place position at the state level and will also advance to the national competition. Bryson Calhoun, Ben Jordan, and Jocelyn Hernandez achieved commendable placements in the state for their exceptional performance in engineering technology and design. As a result, they have earned the opportunity to represent their school and complete at the national level. Emily Arnett, a student from Avery County High School, received a well-deserved recognition for her exceptional achievements at the state DECA competition. Her outstanding business solutions project earned her an impressive third-place position. As a result, she had the opportunity to represent her school and compete at the national level on April 22nd.
***Photo by Lily Kincaid