Norwalk ROP students dominate at competition

NORWALK - The Norwalk chapter of the Southeast ROP SkillsUSA swept regional competitions held recently at Cal State Los Angeles and Mt. SAC, earning 16 gold medals and 15 silver medals.Led by ROP advisors Tom Bates, Ken Cook, Tracy Horton, Manny Parras and Brent Tuttle, the group of 35 students will compete at the state conference in April. Highlights from the regional competition included: *Karina Vanegas earned gold in Commercial Baking with Martin Cano and Victor Flores advancing to state; *Amanda Benas earned gold and Jesus Guerrero silver in Collision Repair. Brian Lieb and Maria Robles advanced to state in Collision Repair; *Anthony Boyce and Justin Shiosaka earned silver medals in Sustainability Solutions; *First-time competitors Sergio de la Cruz earned gold and Gustavo Chavez silver in Firefighting. Raul Davalos and David Chavez both advanced to state in First Aid/CPR; Meanwhile, the Southeast ROP SkillsUSA chapter from La Mirada dominated the welding competitions. That group is led by advisor Brent Tuttle. Highlights from the La Mirada chapter: Dakota Sun took the gold medal in Job Interview; Jeremy Duenas and Devon Hedges earned gold in Welding. Robert Orbison earned silver in the same competition; The welding fabrication team of Jordan Asti, Ryan Cooper and Dakota Sun earned gold medals. The fabrication team of Trevor Bergk, Travis Bridges and Robert Jackson earned silver; Bryan Sung earned gold for Welding Sculpture, with Carlos Valenciano earning silver. Alec Cabrera and Lee Galvez advanced to state in the same event; Michael Apodaca earned gold in MIG Welding with Brayden Rankins taking silver. Kevin Barcena and Johnny Batioff advanced to state; James Ladd earned gold in Oxy-Acetylene with Melissa Hickman taking silver. Advancing to state were Jordan Jenkin, Jared Madru, Everette Arce, Alex Kent, Jesus Asencio, Marcus Curz-Galvan and Kristina Jackson; Taking gold in Shielded Metal Arc Welding was Aaron Matos, Austin Moore and Serafin Salazar. Ivan Gonzales earned silver; Moses Alvarado and Ricky Ramirez earned gold and silver medals, respectively, in TIG Welding. Bertha Baca and Jacob Villasenor advanced to state in the same event; Brandon Remedios took silver in Chapter Display; James Ladd and Dakota Sun advanced to state for Co2 Dragsters; Ian Alvarez earned gold in Creed with Melissa Hickman taking silver; The following students advanced to state in the Quiz Bowl: Michael Bennet, Lee Galvez, Charis Jimmons, Jared Madru, Dakota Sun, Trevor Bergk, Travis Bridges, Alec Cabrera and Robert Jackson; The follow advanced in the 20-second Elevator: Jacob Villasenor, Bryan Song, Michael Bennet and Devon Hedges. State finals take place in San Diego during spring break. For more information on the Southeast ROP programs and SkillsUSA chapters, call (562) 860-1927, ext. 1032.

********** Published: April 5, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 51