There was a lot of clanking going on at the Veteran Auditorium in Providence March 27during the Skills USA awards ceremony when Warwick Area Career and Technical Center came away with 35 medals.

Fifteen of those medals were gold, meaning the students who won them have the chance to compete in the National SkillsUSA Leadership & Skills Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 19-25. Students will be competing in contests such as Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Nail Care, Esthetics, Internetworking, Cyber Security, Electrical Construction Wiring, Photography, Marine Technology, Technical Drafting and leadership contest Action Skills, where a demo in electricity will be held.

However, it’s not a given that the students will make it to Georgia. The projected cost of sending each student including room and board is $1,650. That’s $24,750.

That hasn’t deterred center director Timothy Kane or the team of center instructors including Christopher Bianco, Elizabeth Charette and Jill Shurtleff.

They are the driving team behind the Career Center’s 24 annual golf tournament to be held at Cranston Country Club, Sunday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m. Students are looking for sponsors and golfers for the tournament.

Kane said funds raised from the golf tournament and other events, such as the candle sale run by the graphics arts class of Jann Rogers Gartner, cover the bulk of the cost for the trip. Students and their parents also dig into their pockets for “some skin in the game.”

Kane couldn’t say whether 15 gold medalists in the state competition is a center record. He suspects not, but no question it’s close to the high water mark.

On Friday, the medalists gathered at the Tides Restaurant, which is run by the center’s culinary program, for a group photo and a display of their winning hardware. 

Events in which students won medals, the medal and their names are as follows: Welding Sculpture: Silver- Abigail Squizzero; Bronze- Naomi Abar; Internetworking: Gold- Seth Card; Silver- Christopher Pires; Action Skills: Gold- Christopher Parenteau; Silver- Brenna Maine; Marine Technology: Gold- Joshua Howard; Silver- Baxter Tietze; Technical Drafting: Gold- Jared Ladino; Silver-Luciano Niolet; Nail Care: Gold- Isabella Riley/ Elissa Dorgan; Bronze-Kiara Nelen/Jordan Tomar; Electrical Construction Wiring: Gold- Charles Fuss; Silver- Xavier Delgado; T-Shirt Design: Silver- Allison Quinn; Cosmetology: Gold- Sophia Pena; Silver- Christina Sebastiao; Welding: Silver-Joshua Falso; Cyber Security: Gold- Kadence Gould & Alexander Mullin; Culinary Arts: Silver- Brody Wilson; Photography: Gold- Elaynis Leonardo; Commercial Baking: Silver- Hayley Collins; Esthetics: Gold- Alexa Rayhill & model Samantha Lavallee; Silver- Ashiloh Crider & model Jasmine Amaral; Bronze- Charity McIntosh & Model Ashley Ventura; Biotechnology: Gold- Elise Vanluinen & Abigail Vest; Automotive Technology: Gold- James Martin; Pin Design: Demetri Diaz.

National Officer Candidate: Abigail Squizzero & Bryan Adams will be attending as national office candidates.