Students at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s George County Center in Lucedale won eight secondary and two post-secondary awards at the state SkillsUSA competition hosted by the Jackson County Campus in Gautier this month.
Leroy Havard, an 11th grade student in the welding program at the George County Center, won the state-pin design contest. His design, which won on the secondary and post-secondary levels, was used to create a lapel pin that will be traded with other states’ contestants at the national SkillsUSA competitions in Kansas City, Mo., in June.
“I missed last year’s pin competition deadline. I made sure I knew about it this year,” he said. “I looked at other pins and decided the design needed to be simple but with something that thoroughly represented Mississippi.” Havard’s pin is in the shape of Mississippi with a magnolia in the center of the state. At the top, above the state, the word “Mississippi” is written. Below that, on the upper part of the state, is “SkillsUSA.” At the bottom of the state, is “2009.”
Havard, the son of Joe and Shirley Havard of Lucedale, is a second-year SkillsUSA participant. Last year, he won the Job Interview event at the state level and placed at nationals. Next year, he plans to enter the welding portion of the contest.
Haley Steede, a post-secondary student at the George County Center, also won first place. She won the Cosmetology event and will go to the national competitions this summer. “I was surprised and excited when I won at the state competition,” she said. “I am thrilled to be going to nationals and I hope to win something there.”
Steede will be completing the Cosmetology program at the center this year. She is the daughter of Darrell and Frances Steede of Lucedale.
Amber Cowart, also of Lucedale, placed second in Food and Beverage Service at the state SkillsUSA competition. Her instructor at the George County Center, Jaclyn Parker, said that wouldn’t be so incredible if she was a second-year student.
“When Amber, who is a 10th grader and in her first year of Food and Beverage, said she wanted to compete, I was very pleased,” Parker said. “When she placed second, I was thrilled. The material covered in the tests at the competition is not material she would know in her first year of the program. She really had to study to be prepared.”
Cowart said she was ill the week of competitions but studied hard anyway. “I wanted to participate, and I wanted to do well so I studied while I was sick. I was just determined to get it done. The toughest part of the competition was waitressing. I had to serve two judges, and one had a strong Austrian accent. I had a tough time understanding him.”
Cowart is the daughter of Lisa Whiting and Michael Cowart, both of Lucedale.
George County Center (Postsecondary)
First Place: Cosmetology, Haley Steede (Lucedale)
Second Place: Occupational Health and Safety Scrapbook Single, Cynthia Leanne Hicks (Leakesville)
George County Center (Secondary)
State Pin Design Winner: Leroy Havard (Lucedale)
Second Place: Food and Beverage Service, Amber Cowart (Lucedale)
Second Place: Quiz Bowl, Jenniefer Brown (Lucedale)
Gabrielle Luce (Lucedale)
Jared Mannon (Lucedale)
Briana Meador (Lucedale)
Kalyn Moody (Lucedale)
Third Place: Job Interview, Leroy Havard (Lucedale)
Jefferson Davis Campus (Postsecondary)
First Place: Computer Maintenance Technology, Isiah Edwards (Long Beach)
First Place: Food and Beverage Services, Jana Gonzales (Moss Point)
First Place: Heating, Air Conditioning, & Refrigeration, Rex Childers (Biloxi)
First Place: Occupational Health & Safety (Multiple), Michelle Schifano (Gulfport)
First Place: Preschool Teaching Assistant, Brendalyn Russell (Biloxi)
First Place: Residential Wiring, Jim Mancell (Gulfport)
First Place: Technical Drafting, Martin Fountain (Saucier)
Second Place: Chapter Display, Olivia Nesbett (Long Beach)
Second Place: Commercial Baking, Rouie McCullough (Biloxi)
Second Place: Internetworking, Dwayne Favre (Bay St. Louis)
Second Place: Job Interview, Lori Orslene (Biloxi)
Second Place: Technical Computer Applications, Chris Rhodes (D’Iberville)
Third Place: Extemporaneous Speaking, Brennan Purvis (Gulfport)
Third Place: Promotional Bulletin Board, Heather Nelson (Gulfport)
Jackson County Campus (Postsecondary)
First Place: Marine Servicing Technology, Tyler Peebles (Collinsville)
First Place: Plumbing, David Whitten (Long Beach)
First Place: Telecommunication Cabling, Shawn Knotts (St. Martin)
Second Place: CPR/First Aid, Shannon McNair (Gautier)
Second Place: Electronics Application, Bert Smith (Escatawpa)
Second Place: Motorcycle Service Technology, Shane Nesbett (Long Beach)
Second Place: Architectural Drafting, Joseph Allen (Moss Point)
Third Place: Power Equipment Technology, Dale Bullock (Ocean Springs)
Third Place: Precision Machining, Matthew Warning (St. Martin)
Third Place: Technical Drafting, Brian Broun (Pascagoula)
Perkinston Campus (Postsecondary)
First Place: Welding, Robert Neal (Saucier)
First Place: Quiz Bowl, Lindsay Jones (Saucier)
Justin Fregoe (Saucier)
Ronald S. Sievers (Saucier)
John Shows (Lucedale)
Marcus Worrel (Gulfport)
Alexander Landry (Long Beach)
Sherrilyn O’Neal (Perkinston)
First Place: Web Design, Ashley Johnson (Saucier)
Mikael Ems (Biloxi)
First Place: Internetworking, Victoria Leach (Saucier)
Third Place: Computer Maintenance Technology, Shawn Hayes (Wiggins)
Third Place: Technical Computer Applications, April Kelty (Gulfport)
West Harrison Center (Postsecondary)
Second Place: Precision Machining, Thomas VanderMeer (Gulfport)
West Harrison Center (Secondary)
First Place: CNC Milling, Michael Anderson (Long Beach)
First Place: Collision Repair Technology, Andrew McMahan (Long Beach)
First Place: Culinary Arts, John Rauch (Long Beach)
First Place: Food and Beverage Service, Elyssa Yeager (Long Beach)
First Place: Residential Wiring, William Bonney (Pass Christian)
