Local BOCES students take home top honors

A pair of Whitehall teens was among nearly 100 local BOCES students who won a regional SkillsUSA Competition held in Schenectady.

Carl Rehm and Riley Eagan both took home top honors during the competition, which was held at Schenectady Community College and Stratton Air Force Base.

Rehm won in the automotive mechanics division while Eagan won the job interview category.

Both students are now qualified to compete at the state competition in Syracuse on April 24 to 26.

SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit organization, is devoted to rewarding students for excellence, for involving industry in directly evaluating student performance and in keeping career training relevant to employers’ needs.

The competition was open to 500 high school students from area BOCES who won their local competitions.

It included teens from 13 area counties: Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren, Washington, Greene, Columbia, Montgomery, Fulton, Herkimer, Hamilton and Essex counties.
The competition measured the hands-on skills of students studying for a variety of careers including culinary arts, graphic arts, cosmetology, engine repair, welding, floral arranging, residential wiring and carpentry.
Students were judged by business and industry leaders. They won equipment for their chosen career and scholarship money to further their study in their chosen vocation.