FEO, March 14, 2024, VOL. 5 ISSUE 14

This year DSBN Regional Skills competitions were held at Niagara College in Niagara-On-The-Lake and Welland campus. There were over thirty challenges, including carpentry, welding, TV production, photography, manufacturing, culinary arts, prepared speeches, job demonstration and job interview skills. Over 300 students from DSBN competed in this year’s Skills Competition. Students have been practicing these skills with their teachers for months to be able to confidently compete against other competitors. To be successful in this competition, there are two criteria that must be met; the will, and the commitment to practice. Practice is nothing more than repeating a task or skills repeatedly to perform these tasks proficiently. Wanting and doing are two different things, one without the other is hardly a formula for success. At the beginning of every team selection, my students and I watch the famous YouTube video of Allen Iverson to reinforce the value of practice.

Allen Iverson, former Philadelphia 76ers basketball star, provided us with a great video to demonstrate the detriment of not committing to the practice. In this clip, Allan Iverson explains away missed practices and repeats the word ‘practice’ over 20 times. Philadelphia 76ers never won the NBA championship during Iverson’s tenure with the team. This clip shows the lack of a pledge to practice could inhibit people from reaching their potential. Demonstrating skills while performing confidently in competition requires a great deal of repetition. Our team began practicing right away in September, five months before the first competition was to be held. Knowing that these skills cannot be mastered overnight, my team agreed to participate in several mandatory and optional practices on a weekly basis.

A solution to the shortage of skilled trade is through training new generations of Students who can perform trade-required skills confidently and habitually. Repetition is a cornerstone of any apprenticeship program. One cannot become a master electrician, or master mechanic by performing required skills occasionally. Apprenticeship programs are designed for trainees to repeat a task under the watchful eyes of the master.

Fortunately, my entire team, which consists of Gabrielle Cudmore, Jocelyn Burns, Autumn Wartman, Harper James, and Haleema Kuku understood the value of practice when they signed up for this year’s Skills Competition. As part of the training, the team has been provided with various opportunities to perform in front of different audiences. The team was offered multiple opportunities to receive helpful feedback. Mastering these skills is a long-term process, which requires practicing during spares, MSIP, lunch, after school and on many occasions at home in front of family members. Repetition of these skills offers students with excellent habits which can be eventually ingrained in their future endeavours. These transferable skills will help students navigate life in a constructive and dynamic manner. As Autumn suggested; “practice is a discipline that allows you to become something you never thought was possible”, furthermore, “through months of dedication and practice, I was able to gain an all-new confidence in myself and participate in a competition that my past self would be too afraid to even think about.”

Let’s get to know the dream team:

• Gabrielle Cudmore is a grade 10 student who is profoundly involved with GFESS theatre. Last year, Gabrielle performed in “Little Shop of Horror” as Crystal. This year, she is starring in the GFESS original play “Useful Fictions …And Bear Facts.” She was awarded a prestigious award for her role in this play. Gabrielle competed in the Public Speaking competition, which required her to perform 5-7 minutes in front of the panel of judges and the public.
• Harper James is a grade 11 student who performs tasks of the dining room manager and server at The Pomegranate Restaurant located at GFESS. Harper is an accomplished swimmer who has qualified for OFSAA. Harper competed in the Job Skills Demonstration competition where she taught judges and the audience how to make a superior fruit tart from scratch.
• Autumn Wartman, is a grade 11 student who oversees the desert and garde manger department at The Pomegranate Restaurant. She is involved in various teaching activities as a peer tutor in her baking class. Autumn competed in the Job Skills Demonstration competition where she taught judges and audience how to make choux paste and cream puffs from scratch.
• Jocelyn Burns is a grade 10 student who is also a member of the GFESS dance team. She is responsible for customer service duties as a server at The Pomegranate Restaurant. Jocelyn competed in the Job Interview competition.
• Haleemah Kuku is a grade 11 student who is an assistant dining room manager at the Pomegranate Restaurant. She is the Skills Competition Team Captain who oversees all the practices and the preparation for upcoming skills competitions.

Students participated in the 2024 DSBN Skills Competition on February 28, 2024.

For more information, visit:https://www.dsbn.org/news-release/2024/02/26/niagara-college-to-host-dsbn-s-26th-annual-technological-skills-challenge

Pictured: Ms. Caldwell (Coach), Gabrielle, Mr.K (Coach)