59 OCM BOCES Students Heading to SkillsUSA State Championships

59 OCM BOCES Students Heading to SkillsUSA State Championships

Fifty-nine OCM BOCES Career & Technical Education students from Cortland and Onondaga counties will compete at the SkillsUSA New York State Leadership and Skills Championships in April, riding the momentum of a dominant performance at the SkillsUSA Area II Regional Conference Feb. 10 at SUNY Morrisville.

Competing against nearly 900 students from across the region, OCM BOCES earned more top-three finishes than any other school, 19 in all, including 15 first or second-place finishes and four third-place showings. Those 19 students automatically qualified for the state championships, held each April at the New York State Fairgrounds. The other 40 students advanced through internal competitions at OCM BOCES' Thompson Road and Cortlandville campuses, which were organized for programs that didn't have a corresponding event at the regional level.

"They did excellent. I was so proud of them and they worked so hard to get there," said Dillon Zumbolo, a SkillsUSA co-advisor at the Cortlandville Campus. "We're actually doing prep for the state competition right now. I think we're going to make nationals this year. I've got my fingers crossed."

Students competed individually and as teams across a wide range of categories, from health knowledge to welding.

Danielle Curtis, a SkillsUSA co-advisor at the Thompson Road Campus, said she was proud of the competitors' willingness to go up against students from schools spanning the Adirondacks to the New York City area.

"We're just really proud of them," she said. "Our students are really stepping outside their comfort zones to go up and compete against the unknown essentially. It's a big responsibility they have to take on and a real time commitment. It's a lot of effort."

Mallory Douglas, director of Career & Technical Education, said she was struck not just by the results but by how much students cheered each other on throughout the day, regardless of which campus they attended.

"I am so proud of our students, staff, and advisors for the hard work and dedication they put into preparing for SkillsUSA Regionals," she said. "They spent many hours practicing and supporting each other, and it truly showed in their performance. This experience highlights not just their skills, but their determination and pride in their fields."