Whittier Tech Visited by SkillsUSA Executive Director to Close SkillsUSA Week

SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis (second from right) stands with Whittier Tech Marketing and Culinary students. (Courtesy Photo Whittier Tech)

Superintendent Maureen Lynch is pleased to announce that SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis visited Whittier Tech for the conclusion of SkillsUSA week.

SkillsUSA Week, which ran this year from Feb. 6-10, serves as an opportunity to promote career and technical education and SkillsUSA programs at the local, state and national levels. To make this year extra special, Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini officially proclaimed this week as SkillsUSA Week in town.

During her visit, Travis met with: SkillsUSA MA President Jaidyn Craig, a senior from Haverhill; Marisa Behl, a senior from Georgetown; Sanaa White, a junior from Haverhill; Natalie Delano, a sophomore from Haverhill; Molly McCadden, a sophomore from Haverhill; Sam Kesten, a sophomore from Haverhill; Silas Smith, a junior from Haverhill; Betzy Vazquez, a junior from Haverhill; Royel Almonte, a senior from Haverhill; Jane Moskevitz, Allied Health Instructor and Whittier SkillsUSA Advisor; Tish Costa, Dental Assisting Instructor and Whittier SkillsUSA Advisor; Whittier Administration; and Deb Santos, English Instructor.

Students asked Travis about best practices for increasing engagement in SkillsUSA.

“It is not necessarily about the quantity but about the depth of involvement," Travis said.

Travis also asked students about essential skills they have learned through the program. Students mentioned skills including confidence and networking.

SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis and Royel Almonte, a senior from Haverhill during Travis' visit. (Courtesy Photo Whittier Tech)

Additionally, Travis took a tour of Whittier Tech. She saw the shops and SkillsUSA-specific projects displayed throughout the building. This included the names of students participating in the SkillsUSA District Conference in March, which are displayed outside each shop; a monopoly board created by Design and Visual Communications students; and various SkillsUSA posters outside of each English classroom. The tour ended in the Poet’s Inn Cafe where students from Marketing, Culinary and Hospitality Management provided "Framework Friday" drinks and freshly baked croissants.

This school year, Whittier Tech has put a focus on the essential elements of the SkillsUSA framework. Each Friday, students and staff in their vocational areas complete an activity based on that week’s assignment element, which included the creation of "Framework Friday" drink specials in the cafe. Students based drink colors on each section of the SkillsUSA triangle, including:

  • Blue - technical skills grounded in academics: a butterfly pea tea, blue Hawaiian drink

  • Red - personal skills: a strawberry and raspberry smoothie

  • Black- workplace skills: an espresso based drink with caramel

SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis learns about "Framework Friday" drinks. (Courtesy Photo Whittier Tech)

Deborah Santos