Morrisville State to host high school skills contest

Approximately 900 high school students from 18 schools will have the opportunity to showcase a multitude of skills and talents in the Region II BOCES Skills USA competition being hosted Feb. 13 at Morrisville State.



The annual conference features high school students from technical schools and BOCES programs throughout Central New York competing in a variety of events.



The competition includes approximately 60 contests ranging from entrepreneurship, nurse assisting, job interviews, commercial baking, culinary arts, and cosmetology, to collision repair technology, carpentry, welding and electrical construction wiring.



Contests will be held throughout the campus including at the college's auto and wood technology buildings, Bailey Hall and the Copper Turret, a fine dining restaurant run by the college. They will begin at 9:30 a.m. and some contests will run through mid-afternoon.



“The event provides students with an opportunity to showcase their skills, and it also exposes them to our academic programs, services and state-of-the-art facilities,” said Sarah Mazza, assistant director of dining services for the Morrisville Auxiliary Corporation (MAC).



Competitions will be judged by Morrisville State faculty, students, and industry and education representatives. The college will be offering scholarship opportunities to some of the award winners.



An awards ceremony will follow the contests with trophies awarded to the top three finishers in each competition. The top winners in each category go on to compete in the statewide competition. One winner from each state competition will go on to a national competition.



In the event of inclement weather, the competition will be held Feb. 27.



For more information about the BOCES Skills USA competition, contact Sarah Mazza at 315.684.6076, or mazzas@morrisville.edu.