DANVERS — Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School (Essex Tech) is celebrating a record-breaking performance at this year’s SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Leadership & Skills Conference, held this past weekend. With the school’s strongest showing to date, five Essex Tech students earned gold medals and will advance to the national competition in Atlanta, Georgia this summer—marking a historic achievement for the school community.
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit partnership of education and industry that empowers students to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible citizens. It provides opportunities for students in career and technical education to compete in hands-on skill-based challenges, showcasing their expertise in fields ranging from cybersecurity to automotive refinishing.
“This weekend was nothing short of extraordinary,” said Superintendent Heidi T. Riccio. “Our students represented Essex Tech with pride, professionalism, and skill—and it paid off. This success is a direct reflection of their dedication, our exceptional educators, and the strength of our career technical programs. We are thrilled to see so many of our students move on to represent Massachusetts on the national stage.”
Heading to Nationals in Atlanta:
- Keylianis Boria-Crespo and Joseph Ferullo, TV Video Production (Team of 2)
- Jason Cledes and Hunter Somers, Cybersecurity (Team of 2)
- Deborah Feliz Grullion, Automotive Refinishing Technology
- Adryana Simard, Facilitation
In addition, Tristan Kindle will attend Nationals as a National Voting Delegate, helping to shape the future direction of SkillsUSA at the national level.
State-Level Champions:
A gold medal also went to the Biotechnology Team of 4, which competes only at the state level:
- Jonas Koyle
- Lily Johnson
- Karen Manning
- Olympia Roszko
Additional Medalists:
Silver Medalists
- Max Alpert, Principles of Engineering
- Joss Ebersole and Jaycek Gosselin, Additive Manufacturing (Team of 2)
Bronze Medalists
- Brooke Arcari, Customer Service
- Ava Denisco, Automotive Refinishing Technology
- Vienna Lau, Information Technology Services
One of the weekend’s standout leaders was Akram Mchiti, a two-term member of the SkillsUSA State Executive Council, who once again represented Essex Tech with distinction. He will also travel to Atlanta this summer to help lead the Massachusetts Chapter of SkillsUSA, one of the most successful state delegations in the country.
“As the state vice president, the state conference is my absolute favorite event of the year,” said Mchiti. “For three days, I get the opportunity to speak and watch so many dedicated high school students compete in what they love most, their CTE program. Every student practices and prepares for competition, and it was incredible to watch Essex Tech’s successes on awards day.”
Essex Tech’s remarkable showing at SkillsUSA reinforces the school’s mission to prepare students for success in both college and career through rigorous academics and hands-on, real-world experiences.
For more information about Essex Tech, visit www.essexnorthshore.org.
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit partnership of education and industry that empowers students to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible citizens. It provides opportunities for students in career and technical education to compete in hands-on skill-based challenges, showcasing their expertise in fields ranging from cybersecurity to automotive refinishing.
“This weekend was nothing short of extraordinary,” said Superintendent Heidi T. Riccio. “Our students represented Essex Tech with pride, professionalism, and skill—and it paid off. This success is a direct reflection of their dedication, our exceptional educators, and the strength of our career technical programs. We are thrilled to see so many of our students move on to represent Massachusetts on the national stage.”
