SkillsUSA Friday Flash
4/22/22
SkillsUSA Engage Registration Now Open for Teachers and Advisors
SkillsUSA instructors and advisors can now register for SkillsUSA Engage, a professional development conference that assists them in elevating their teaching skills to new levels. This will be a fast-paced, hands-on learning experience to jumpstart planning for next school year. Sara Plozoy, a veteran Engage attendee, says, “Engage gives you the student hat to wear,” elevating your lesson plans and chapter activities to be more engaging and intentional.
Engage will be held June 18-20 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, just prior to the National Leadership & Skills Conference. For more information and to register for Engage, go here. For questions, contact Michelle Martinez.
2022 NTHS Scholarship Winners
The winners of the National Technical Honor Society Scholarships provided through SkillsUSA are: Kathryn Reynolds, George Ranch High School, Richmond, Texas (advisor: Claudia Urbina);
Seth Freiburger, Scott Technical Regional Center, Monett, Mo. (advisor: Anessa Garner); Emily Webb, Dekalb County Technology Center, Rainsville, Ala. (advisor: Tessa Brown); and William Kruk, The Center for Advanced Technology at Monohasen, Schenectady, N.Y. (advisor: Darryl Nunn). Congratulations to these SkillsUSA champions!
Share Your Signing Day with the Nation
Chapters across the nation will celebrate SkillsUSA National Signing Day on May 5 by highlighting the value of the skilled trades while recognizing career and technical students for their dedication to career readiness and a career in the skilled trades. Hundreds of SkillsUSA schools in 32 states and territories are expected to participate in the 2022 event. Year by year, SkillsUSA National Signing Day is generating greater awareness that the skilled trades offer rewarding career paths.
On Signing Day, SkillsUSA chapters will host students at signing ceremonies attended by administrators, teachers, elected officials, SkillsUSA advisors, family and friends. Like signing day events for student athletes who commit to a college or team, students will be applauded one by one as they sign letters of intent for a job offer, apprenticeship or advanced technical training. Throughout the day, skilled trades supporters will share their encouragement for these future workers, so watch our SkillsUSA social media channels for some exciting updates.
All chapters are asked to submit their Signing Day photos, videos and stories to SkillsUSA’s communications team so we can highlight your local events. To submit your photos and stories, upload them here. If you post on social media, use the hashtag #SkillsUSANationalSigningDay.
Facilitating Cloud Technologies on SkillsUSA Technical Fridays
Join us for SkillsUSA Technical Fridays, new industry-led workshops that help teachers develop specific technical skills relevant to their career fields. On April 29, from 4-5 p.m. ET, the presenter is instructor and textbook author Jill West. Her session will focus on preparing students to work in the cloud and bringing the cloud into the classroom. Attendees will also practice building servers in Amazon Web Services. This session is appropriate for all experience levels, and the cost is $10. Register here.
Love and Logic Session: Preventing Problems in Your Classroom
Join us on May 3 from 3:30-5 p.m. ET for a Love and Logic session designed to help you learn how to prevent problems in the classroom without taking time away from teaching. Learn strategies to cover more content and go home at the end of the day feeling fantastic instead of frazzled. The cost to attend is $10. Register here. For questions, contact Karolina Belen.
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
Please join your fellow advisors on May 4 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. ET for our best practices series, where seasoned SkillsUSA advisors lead panels focusing on one topic each month. This session will focus on how to run fair and efficient chapter officer elections. A PDF of the 2022 Professional Development Opportunities is available here. You can register for this and more professional membership benefits here. Completion certificates are provided for each session. Use this Google Doc to learn how to access your professional membership benefits online. For questions, contact Karolina Belen.
A Toolkit to Assist with Your Chapter Officer Election Process
The end of the school year includes celebrations and awards ceremonies, and many schools also hold their chapter officer elections for the following school year. It is important to honor the work and commitment of the students applying for chapter office and to conduct a process that is fair and equitable for all candidates. The process should identify the candidates that can best serve your local chapter in advancing quality while engaging all members. SkillsUSA’s Chapter Officer Election Toolkit will assist you in conducting your next SkillsUSA chapter officer elections, and it’s available for download here.
Celebrate Community Contributions During SkillsUSA’s National Week of Service
SkillsUSA is asking all chapters to conduct and promote a community service project during SkillsUSA’s National Week of Service, May 8-14. This event helps commemorate the founding of SkillsUSA on May 8, 1965. Connect with SkillsUSA via social media by posting photos of your activities online. Chapter advisors or officers should email a brief description of their chapter events to Gayle Silvey at gsilvey@skillsusa.org. In return, we’ll send a SkillsUSA logo gift item valued at $15 to say thanks.
We encourage participants to publicize your projects locally. To locate media resources for your community, including contact information for area newspapers, use our SkillsUSA Advocacy Site. On the site, click on “Media,” enter your ZIP code, and choose up to six outlets at a time. Then, click on “Send a Message.” To see the full contact information for each outlet, click on the name of the newspaper.