Students from Vankleek Hill and Russell helped the Upper Canada District School Board shine at this year’s Eastern Ontario SKLZ competition.
This year’s event took place at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall, February 25. The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) had 120 students from across its region entered in various categories.
The goal of the annual competition is to highlight the craftsmanship and creativity of students in a variety of industrial, commercial, and technical trades. Top entries in each category move on to compete in the Ontario SKLZ Challenge in Toronto in May.
The UCDSB had students, both individual and teams, competing in all 14 categories and winning a total of 26 gold, silver, and bronze medals for the Upper Canada District.
Winning gold with their skills from Vankleek Hill Collegiate were Heidi Zihlman in the floristry category and the Grade 9 Doghouse Construction team of Charlie Steele, Hannah Rodger, Mayank Nadigar, and Tyson Densmore Nadeau. Talented photographer Alisander Schwendemann earned a bronze medal. All these students advance to the SKLZ Ontario provincioal event later this year.
Russell Township’s video duo of Wyatt Brown and Gail Tanguay earned fourth-place recognition in the TV/Video category for themselves and Russell High School. The duo also earned themselves a chance to compete later in the season at SKLZ Provincial Qualifier in Kingston on April 5. Success there could see them get a shot at competing in Toronto later in the year.
