V-S students place in skills competition

Four students from Vanguard-Sentinel Career and Technology Center received medals following competitions last week during the 2022 National Leadership and Skills Conference hosted in Atlanta, Georgia. Students receiving medals were Austin French, gold; Shane Webb, silver; Lauren Heimert, silver; and Ross Nye, bronze. "It was really awesome getting to go in front of the cheering crowd," French said about receiving his medal. French, of Fremont Ross High School, earned his medal in the building maintenance competition. "I know the other competitors in my category worked hard too so I wanted to share my victory with them," French said. On preparing, French said he practiced for many hours. "I have been working for this since I started at Vanguard-Sentinel," French said. "I set my goal and worked toward it. Hard work and dedication can pay off." French said he wants to thank Vanguard-Sentinel for giving him "this once in a lifetime opportunity." Heimert, of Clyde High School, earned her medal in the medical assisting competition. "Never in a million years did I expect to be on that stage," Heimert said. "I saw my name on the big screen and I stared at it in disbelief until all of my friends crowded over top of me." Heimert said she worked with her advisor Lynn Walby, covering the medical assisting skills and knowledge questions. She was also enrolled in the 2021-22 medical assisting course, which also helped her prepare. "I learned that no matter how much doubt you have, there is still a possibility," Heimert said. "Even though you may not have confidence, another opinion could be completely different. I learned confidence and so much more." "Winning a national metal is so exciting," Webb said. Webb, of Old Fort High School, earned his medal in the collision repair competition. "Mr. (Carl) Rusch and I have been working very hard," Webb said. "Although it may not be gold, silver is still a medal on the national stage." Webb said he learned to overcome adversity and to make the best out of the situation. "I am grateful for the opportunities Mr. Rusch and Vanguard-Sentinel provided to me," Webb said. Earning his medal in Masonry, Nye said, " I feel like it is a really great accomplishment to be in the top three in the USA for masonry and that the more work you put in the better the results you get." For Nye, he said he learned that hard work pays off in the long run and to never give up. In addition, the top 10 national finishers from VSCTC are Evan England, Owen England, Wyatt Heck and Trevor Johnson — 4th Place, Teamworks; Erin Kelbley — 4th Place, Nurse Assisting; Alejandro Ford and Coby Pocock — 5th Place, Audio Radio Production; Aniceto Puente — 7th, Welding Sculpture.