Bringing Home the Bronze to Northwest Indiana
By: Finn McPike | Boone Grove High School CTE Student (Early Childhood Education)
One day last fall, I found myself crammed onto a bench with a dozen other CTE (Career and Technical Education) students from various programs. My teacher Mrs. Wendy Akers gathered us to watch a short video about an organization I’d never heard of: SkillsUSA. Apparently, SkillsUSA is a showcase of sorts where various CTE students come together in competition for their specific skill. The carpenters built, the mechanics fixed, the programs coded, and so on. There were three competitions: Local, State, and Regional.
I was all but resigned to forgetting about the whole video when I saw the next shot: Three students on a podium, their hands clasped together high in the air as thousands of onlookers cheered from over the stage. Try as I might, I couldn’t forget it and ended up signing up for competition.
February rolled around, and I and a handful of others rode a bus down to the Hammond library for the Local competition. We had one hour to write up a lesson plan based upon a given children’s book. This was the easy part, in retrospect. Now, came the hard part: waiting. Waiting for my name to be called where I’d present the lesson plan I made and read the book, all while pretending to be in a room with actual children.
After more waiting, results came in, and I’d go onto win first place. I’d be going to State!
As April arrived, it was time to travel to Indianapolis, where I’d go on to win first place again, sending me to Nationals! After I got my medal, I found Mrs. Akers waiting for me and I gave her a big hug. It was only because of her that I got this far, or even took an interest in teaching in the first place. The only reason I’d be going to Nationals was because of her, and this time, I was determined to get another medal.
Now it was time to plan for the next steps: Getting money for Nationals, a week-long trip to Atlanta. As fun as it sounded, the trip was expensive. Between the plane fare and hotel costs, myself, Mrs. Akers, and my mom and grandma were looking at thousands needed for the trip. It was a daunting number, and there were times throughout our fundraising that I was worried we wouldn’t be able to afford it. Thankfully, through the generous donations from my family, Chesterton High School, and First Things First Porter County, we made just enough (and then some!) to make it. This trip wouldn’t have been possible without these donations from the wonderful and generous members of our community!
Instead of taking place all in one day, Nationals was spread out over three to cover the portions of competition: a written test, presentations, lesson planning, and activity planning. It was a little daunting—for both State and Local competitions, there had only been a handful of Early Childhood students. This time around, there were thirty!
My idea for the class activity was a simple board-game where children would roleplay different jobs in the community. It just had to be playable, appropriate, and engaging for my pretend classroom. Next came the lesson plan. I was nervous about this part, overthinking every portion until I submitted it reluctantly. Still, despite the jab in my confidence, I switched focus to the next day’s presentation portion—I still had a chance to win.
Once again came the hardest part of all competitions: waiting for the results. Two long days passed as I waited for Friday evening. We filled our spare time with exploring Atlanta and trading state pins (each state had their own special pin design!) with whoever we came across.
Finally, Friday came around—the day where I’d figure out where I placed. When the time came, everybody from all the different states and competitions made their way to the State Farm Arena and separated into different sections by state while our families and teachers took seating on a different level. As I looked over the crowds of people sitting and laughing, waiting for the ceremony to start, all I could think was: ‘I made it.’
Suddenly, my name flickered across the screen boldly declaring to the crowd that I placed somewhere in the top three in the nation for Early Childhood Education— I couldn't believe it. Slowly, I rose from my chair, my mind in a daze as I stumbled my way down the stairs. Eventually, I made my way onto the stage: the very same stage I saw all those months ago in the video, the same stage that motivated me to start this entire journey.
In the end, I placed third in the nation! Not first, but I was just honored to be in the top three— honored and motivated to win gold next time I compete. I fully intend to return to nationals once I start college! My teacher Mrs. Akers, and the continued support of my family are the only reasons I made it this far, and I will always be thankful for them! I can only hope next time, I’ll bring home the gold to prove it.