MVHS SkillsUSA NEWS
Mounds View High School SkillsUSA Students Win 15 Medals at the 2024 State Leadership and Skills Conference
[April 16, 2024, St. Paul] — Mounds View students brought home 15 medals from the 2024 SkillsUSA Minnesota State Leadership & Skills Conference on April 12, 2024. The annual SkillsUSA conference was a showcase of career and technical education (CTE) students in our state who competed in various trade, technical, and leadership events. All contests are run by SkillsUSA with the help of industry, trade associations, labor organizations, and testing competencies set by industry. Top student winners received gold, silver, and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and scholarships to further their careers and education.
Members have consistently demonstrated their expertise and professionalism while participating throughout the year in a variety of leadership and competitive conferences. SkillsUSA’s mission is to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of the nation’s future skilled workforce through the development of SkillsUSA Framework skills that include personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics. Our vision is to produce the most highly skilled workforce in the world, providing every member with the opportunity for career success.
State first-place (gold medal) winners are eligible to compete at the national SkillsUSA Championships, which will be held in Atlanta in June. The following students at the 2024 state conference had outstanding accomplishments:
Gold Medals:
Computer Programming--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Customer Service--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Extemporaneous Speech--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Facilithon--Caitlyn Nelson (12)
Job Interview--Emily Luo (11)
Prepared Speech--Emily Luo (11)
Restaurant Services--Caitlyn Nelson (12)
Silver Medals:
Customer Service--Emily Luo (11)
Pin Design--Emily Luo (11)
Restaurant Services--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Bronze Medals:
Facilithon--Yunru Chen (12)
Job Interview--Yunru Chen (12)
Pin Design--Caitlyn Nelson (12)
Restaurant Services--Gloria Liu (11)
Quiz Bowl--Caitlyn Nelson, Yunru Chen, Gloria Liu, Ashleigh Pennington and Emily Luo
In addition to the contests and awards ceremony, the Opening Ceremony for SkillsUSA was filmed before the event and played at all contest sites. Mounds View High School hosted this event in partnership with Goldenrod Media and Livingood Productions. Two MVHS students are featured in the video representing the SkillsUSA Minnesota State Officer Team. Here is a link to watch the Opening Ceremony. 2024 SkillsUSA Minnesota Conference
For more information about this year’s events and the winners, contact: Heidi Mattson, Executive Director for SkillsUSA Minnesota. [email protected]
About SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges, and middle schools, covering over 140 trade, technical, and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. We have served 14.6 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.
Mounds View Students elected SkillUSA Minnesota State Officers
Two students from Mounds View were elected to the Minnesota SkillsUSA Officer Team. Gloria Liu (11) and Ashleigh Pennington (11) both participated in the Fall Leadership Conference in October and were elected to their positions in November. Gloria and Ashleigh will work with the Executive Director and the other two elected officers to plan and run the State Conference in April, 2024.
Mounds View students earn recognition at Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference
Five (5) students from Mounds View qualified to participate in the annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference, on March 30 - April 2, 2023. The students included: Yunru Chen (11), Selina Wang (11), Gloria Liu (10), Emily Luo (10), and Ashleigh Pennington (10). Congratulations to all competitors for representing Mounds View High School!
Students receiving state recognition include:
In June, Yunru Chen and Ashleigh Pennington will compete at the National Stage in Atlanta, GA and represent Minnesota! Good Luck!
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go
unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. We have served 14.2 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.
For more information or interest in joining email [email protected] or follow us on our Instagram @skillsusamv!
Mounds View students earn recognition at Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference
May 2022
Six (6) students from Mounds View qualified to participate in the annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference, on April 8th - 10th, 2022. The students included: MN State President, Jacqueline Pennington (12), MN Secretary Omar Rahman (12), MN Treasurer Allison Brodin (12), Gloria Liu (9), Emily Luo (9), and Ashleigh Pennington (9), Congratulations to all competitors for representing Mounds View High School!
Students receiving state recognition include:
● Ally Brodin - 1st place Customer Service, 1st place Facilithon, 2nd place Extemporaneous Speaking and 3rd place Job Interview.
● Emily Luo - 2nd place Prepared Speech.
● Gloria Liu - 3rd place Prepared Speech.
In June, Ally Brodin will compete at the National Stage in Atlanta, GA and represent Minnesota! Good Luck!
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students through the development of leadership, workplace, and technical skills, preparing young students for the world of work. SkillsUSA has more than 305,00 members annually, organized into 13,000 chapters, 54 states and territorial associations (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands), and has served 13.6 million students since its founding in 1965.
For more information or interest in joining email [email protected] or follow us on our Instagram @skillsusamv !
Mounds View students earn recognition at Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference
May 2021
Ten (10) students from Mounds View qualified to participate in the annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference, on April 12th - May 1st , 2021. The students included: MN Secondary State President, Sydney Dvorak (12), MN Secondary Vice President Jacqueline Pennington (11), MN Secondary Secretary Omar Rahman (11), MN Secondary Reporter Allison Brodin (11), Riley Stern (11), Isabel Newhouse (11), Kevin Xiong (11), Adelyn Yeow (12), Sanjana Pavani (11), and Anna Brodin (9). Congratulations to all competitors for representing Mounds View High School!
Students receiving state recognition and moving on to compete at the national competition include:
● Sydney Dvorak - 1st place Customer Service, 1st place Exploratory Salon Services, 2nd place Facilithon
● Jacqueline Pennington - 1st place Facilithon, 1st place Quiz Bowl, 1st place Prepared Speech, 2nd place Exploratory Salon Services, 2nd place Community Service, 3rd place Job Interview
● Omar Rahman - 1st place Quiz Bowl, 2nd place Community Service
● Allison Brodin - 1st place Extemporaneous Speaking, 1st place Job Interview, 2nd place Customer Service
● Riley Stern - 1st place Quiz Bowl, 2nd place Related Technical Math
● Isabel Newhouse - 1st place Pin Design, 1st place Quiz Bowl
● Kevin Xiong - 1st place Quiz Bowl, 2nd place Community Service, 3rd place Customer Service
● Adelyn Yeow - 1st place Quiz Bowl
● Sanjana Pavani - 1st place Quiz Bowl
In addition, Jacqueline Pennington, Omar Rahman, and Allison Brodin were elected as MN State SkillsUSA Officers for the 2021-2022 school year. Congratulations to all our SkillsUSA students for representing MV SkillsUSA!
In June, students will compete at the National Stage and represent Minnesota! Good Luck!
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students through the development of leadership, workplace, and technical skills, preparing young students for the world of work. SkillsUSA has more than 305,00 members annually, organized into 13,000 chapters, 54 states and territorial associations (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands), and has served 13.6 million students since its founding in 1965.
For more information or interest in joining email [email protected], or follow us on our Instagram @skillsusamv
[April 16, 2024, St. Paul] — Mounds View students brought home 15 medals from the 2024 SkillsUSA Minnesota State Leadership & Skills Conference on April 12, 2024. The annual SkillsUSA conference was a showcase of career and technical education (CTE) students in our state who competed in various trade, technical, and leadership events. All contests are run by SkillsUSA with the help of industry, trade associations, labor organizations, and testing competencies set by industry. Top student winners received gold, silver, and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and scholarships to further their careers and education.
Members have consistently demonstrated their expertise and professionalism while participating throughout the year in a variety of leadership and competitive conferences. SkillsUSA’s mission is to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of the nation’s future skilled workforce through the development of SkillsUSA Framework skills that include personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics. Our vision is to produce the most highly skilled workforce in the world, providing every member with the opportunity for career success.
State first-place (gold medal) winners are eligible to compete at the national SkillsUSA Championships, which will be held in Atlanta in June. The following students at the 2024 state conference had outstanding accomplishments:
Gold Medals:
Computer Programming--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Customer Service--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Extemporaneous Speech--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Facilithon--Caitlyn Nelson (12)
Job Interview--Emily Luo (11)
Prepared Speech--Emily Luo (11)
Restaurant Services--Caitlyn Nelson (12)
Silver Medals:
Customer Service--Emily Luo (11)
Pin Design--Emily Luo (11)
Restaurant Services--Ashleigh Pennington (11)
Bronze Medals:
Facilithon--Yunru Chen (12)
Job Interview--Yunru Chen (12)
Pin Design--Caitlyn Nelson (12)
Restaurant Services--Gloria Liu (11)
Quiz Bowl--Caitlyn Nelson, Yunru Chen, Gloria Liu, Ashleigh Pennington and Emily Luo
In addition to the contests and awards ceremony, the Opening Ceremony for SkillsUSA was filmed before the event and played at all contest sites. Mounds View High School hosted this event in partnership with Goldenrod Media and Livingood Productions. Two MVHS students are featured in the video representing the SkillsUSA Minnesota State Officer Team. Here is a link to watch the Opening Ceremony. 2024 SkillsUSA Minnesota Conference
For more information about this year’s events and the winners, contact: Heidi Mattson, Executive Director for SkillsUSA Minnesota. [email protected]
About SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges, and middle schools, covering over 140 trade, technical, and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. We have served 14.6 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.
Mounds View Students elected SkillUSA Minnesota State Officers
Two students from Mounds View were elected to the Minnesota SkillsUSA Officer Team. Gloria Liu (11) and Ashleigh Pennington (11) both participated in the Fall Leadership Conference in October and were elected to their positions in November. Gloria and Ashleigh will work with the Executive Director and the other two elected officers to plan and run the State Conference in April, 2024.
Mounds View students earn recognition at Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference
Five (5) students from Mounds View qualified to participate in the annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference, on March 30 - April 2, 2023. The students included: Yunru Chen (11), Selina Wang (11), Gloria Liu (10), Emily Luo (10), and Ashleigh Pennington (10). Congratulations to all competitors for representing Mounds View High School!
Students receiving state recognition include:
- Yunru Chen - 1st place Facilithon, 2nd place T-Shirt Design, 3rd place Pin Design
- Gloria Liu - 2nd place Customer Service, 3rd place Job Interview, 3rd place Restaurant Service
- Emily Luo - 2nd place Facilithon, 2nd place Prepared Speech, 2nd place Pin Design.
- Ashleigh Pennington - 1st place Customer Service
- Yunru Chen, Gloria Liu, Emily Luo, Ashleigh Pennington, and Selina Wang - 3rd Place Quiz Bowl
In June, Yunru Chen and Ashleigh Pennington will compete at the National Stage in Atlanta, GA and represent Minnesota! Good Luck!
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go
unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. We have served 14.2 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.
For more information or interest in joining email [email protected] or follow us on our Instagram @skillsusamv!
Mounds View students earn recognition at Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference
May 2022
Six (6) students from Mounds View qualified to participate in the annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference, on April 8th - 10th, 2022. The students included: MN State President, Jacqueline Pennington (12), MN Secretary Omar Rahman (12), MN Treasurer Allison Brodin (12), Gloria Liu (9), Emily Luo (9), and Ashleigh Pennington (9), Congratulations to all competitors for representing Mounds View High School!
Students receiving state recognition include:
● Ally Brodin - 1st place Customer Service, 1st place Facilithon, 2nd place Extemporaneous Speaking and 3rd place Job Interview.
● Emily Luo - 2nd place Prepared Speech.
● Gloria Liu - 3rd place Prepared Speech.
In June, Ally Brodin will compete at the National Stage in Atlanta, GA and represent Minnesota! Good Luck!
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students through the development of leadership, workplace, and technical skills, preparing young students for the world of work. SkillsUSA has more than 305,00 members annually, organized into 13,000 chapters, 54 states and territorial associations (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands), and has served 13.6 million students since its founding in 1965.
For more information or interest in joining email [email protected] or follow us on our Instagram @skillsusamv !
Mounds View students earn recognition at Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference
May 2021
Ten (10) students from Mounds View qualified to participate in the annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Champions and Leadership Conference, on April 12th - May 1st , 2021. The students included: MN Secondary State President, Sydney Dvorak (12), MN Secondary Vice President Jacqueline Pennington (11), MN Secondary Secretary Omar Rahman (11), MN Secondary Reporter Allison Brodin (11), Riley Stern (11), Isabel Newhouse (11), Kevin Xiong (11), Adelyn Yeow (12), Sanjana Pavani (11), and Anna Brodin (9). Congratulations to all competitors for representing Mounds View High School!
Students receiving state recognition and moving on to compete at the national competition include:
● Sydney Dvorak - 1st place Customer Service, 1st place Exploratory Salon Services, 2nd place Facilithon
● Jacqueline Pennington - 1st place Facilithon, 1st place Quiz Bowl, 1st place Prepared Speech, 2nd place Exploratory Salon Services, 2nd place Community Service, 3rd place Job Interview
● Omar Rahman - 1st place Quiz Bowl, 2nd place Community Service
● Allison Brodin - 1st place Extemporaneous Speaking, 1st place Job Interview, 2nd place Customer Service
● Riley Stern - 1st place Quiz Bowl, 2nd place Related Technical Math
● Isabel Newhouse - 1st place Pin Design, 1st place Quiz Bowl
● Kevin Xiong - 1st place Quiz Bowl, 2nd place Community Service, 3rd place Customer Service
● Adelyn Yeow - 1st place Quiz Bowl
● Sanjana Pavani - 1st place Quiz Bowl
In addition, Jacqueline Pennington, Omar Rahman, and Allison Brodin were elected as MN State SkillsUSA Officers for the 2021-2022 school year. Congratulations to all our SkillsUSA students for representing MV SkillsUSA!
In June, students will compete at the National Stage and represent Minnesota! Good Luck!
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students through the development of leadership, workplace, and technical skills, preparing young students for the world of work. SkillsUSA has more than 305,00 members annually, organized into 13,000 chapters, 54 states and territorial associations (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands), and has served 13.6 million students since its founding in 1965.
For more information or interest in joining email [email protected], or follow us on our Instagram @skillsusamv