Whittier Tech Student Places Second in SkillsUSA Massachusetts Tee-Shirt Design Contest
Student Raychel Pennisi won second place for her design entry in the National (Massachusetts) SkillsUSA Tee-Shirt Design Contest. (Photo Courtesy Whittier Tech)
Superintendent Maureen Lynch is pleased to share that a student in Whittier Tech's Design and Visual Communications (DVC) pathway placed in the National (Massachusetts) SkillsUSA Tee-Shirt Design Contest.
Raychel Pennisi, a sophomore from Haverhill, took second place for her design.
Each year, SkillsUSA challenges students across the country to put their skills to the test and contribute creative shirt designs to commemorate the year’s National Leadership and Skills Conference. The winning design is worn by SkillsUSA Massachusetts members at the National Conference.
This year, students were asked to incorporate the SkillsUSA theme "United as One" and at least one Massachusetts state symbol into the designs.
Instructor Catherine Cashman commissioned students in DVC class to take part in the competition. Students began the design process by researching the mission of SkillsUSA's and state symbols as a class, before coming up with individual designs that incorporated desired elements.
“Mrs. Cashman gave us the assignment. It was very specific and we had to pay close attention to the client's needs. We brainstormed as a group to ensure our entries would meet the criteria," Pennisi said.
Pennisi sketched her design idea on paper and then transferred it into Adobe Illustrator as an original vector image. Using Illustrator, she drew custom paths and shapes with the pen and type tool, to construct ships, waves and a bottle.
"Because Massachusetts is the Bay State, I was inspired by the tall ships to create a logo with their colors and design principles,” Pennisi said.
Pennisi also drew upon her existing knowledge of the Principles of Design and Layout, including contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity, to bring the visually appealing design to fruition.
"Congratulations to Raychel. Creating a digital design that will eventually be translated into a print format is difficult, but Raychel took the challenge in stride," Cashman said. "Placing second in this competition is a testament to her fantastic design talents and knowledge. She should be very proud."
Pennisi will be honored at a state Award Ceremony in May.
SkillsUSA Massachusetts is the state chapter of the national SkillsUSA organization, both of which support students in middle school and beyond who are studying to work in the trade, technical and skilled service fields. To learn more about SkillsUSA Massachusetts, please visit their website here. More information about the national SkillsUSA program can be found here.
Sophomore Raychel Pennisi shows off her winning design (photo courtesy of Whittier Tech)
Additionally, the school is pleased to report the results of our SkillsUSA Massachusetts District 4 competition: 16 students earned a gold medal, 18 students earned a silver medal and 10 students earned a bronze medal. These medals represent the technical skills and knowledge our students have in their vocational technical training. We cannot wait to see what they do at the SkillsUSA State Competition!
