Three Cowichan-area students have made it to provincials after a recent skills competition on Vancouver Island – getting one step closer to potentially heading to France to represent Canada.
On Feb. 22, more than 30 students in the Cowichan Valley School District competed at the Skills Canada Regionals at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, with many returning home with medals and prizes.
Cowichan Valley Secondary School gold medal winners included Tayden Ross for carpentry, Cynthia Barry for culinary and Haruki Ikemura for cabinet making. All of the regionals gold medal winners advanced to the provincials held in Abbotsford on April 19.
Those who take the gold in provincials will then advance to nationals in Winnipeg, Man., on May 25-26.
Nationals gold medal winners will have the opportunity to compete at the 2024 World Skills competition in Leon, France at a later date.
Silver medal winners included Tobin McLarty of Chemainus Secondary School for carpentry, Florencia Duchesne Brand of Frances Kelsey Secondary School for culinary, Taya Clark of Cowichan Secondary School for hair styling, and Jackson Manuel-Mills also from Cowichan Secondary took home a bronze for welding.
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While these students climbed to their ranking in the Regional Skills Competition, others took on a different climb with a bouldering (rock climbing) challenge which recently took place in Victoria. Students from Quamichan, Chemainus and Cowichan Secondary School got to be rock stars in the Vancouver Island Choc and Chalk 1 bouldering competition.
Several students from the Cowichan Valley School District took the podium in various categories, accepting prizes of chalk and chocolate, marking a sweet and satisfying day for all competitors.
chadd.cawson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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