Ten Penn College Students Headed for National Competition

Ten students from Pennsylvania College of Technology took home first-place honors recently in the statewide SkillsUSA-VICA competition at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Champion.

All 10 will compete in the national SkillsUSA-VICA championships, to be held June 25-30 at Kansas City, Mo.

SkillsUSA-VICA is a national organization serving more than 245,000 high school and college students and 13,000 professional members in training programs for technical, skilled, health and service occupations. It's organized into 13,000 chapters and 54 state and territorial associations. The SkillsUSA Championships provide a showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation.

The faculty advisers for the Penn College SkillsUSA-VICA student competitors are Edward L. Roadarmel, assistant professor of drafting; Dale J. Kissinger Jr., instructor of HVAC technology/plumbing and heating; and Larry B. Leavitt, associate professor of automotive technology. Roadarmel was named first-runner up for Pennsylvania Adviser of the Year at the state competition.

Students finishing first at the state competition, their academic majors and their competition categories are: David R. Hale, Jersey Shore, Carpentry, Carpentry; James F. White Jr., Lock Haven, Architectural Technology, Architectural Drafting; William J. Frick, Westline, Automated Manufacturing Technology, Automated Manufacturing Technology; Colin G. McGrath, Warren, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Automated Manufacturing Technology; Brent K. Oberholtzer, Elizabethtown, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Automated Manufacturing Technology; Zachary P. Germak, Elizabethtown, Diesel Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology; Joshua L. Halin, Butler, HVAC Technology, HVAC; Kristofer S. Kurzweg, Fleetwood, Automotive Technology Management, Automotive Service Technology; Jason I. Garrett, Cleona, Culinary Arts Technology, Culinary Arts; and Peter J. Hoffman, Kutztown, Toolmaking Technology, Precision Machining Technology.

Second-place finishers were: Henry J. Sporer, Marble, Building Construction Technology-Masonry Construction Emphasis, Masonry; Nicholas J. Ensig, Levittown, HVAC Technology, Residential Plumbing; and Christopher H. Biebuyck, Beaver, Computer Aided Product and System Design, Technical Drafting.

A third-place finish went to Michael A. Bigelow, Altoona, Computer-Aided Drafting Technology, Related Technical Math; and a fourth-place finish was registered by Jeremy C. Rice, Landisburg, Building Construction Technology, Job Interview.

For more information about SkillsUSA-VICA, visit on the Web. Penn College also can be accessed online.