The hammers are hammering, the drills drilling, and the wrenches, well, wrenching.
It’s time once again for another round of Skills Canada Tech competitions and a number of hardworking and talented Elmira District Secondary School students are busy getting ready.
![Adam Weber, Walker Schott, Noah Zeller and Nathan Hergott will represent Elmira District Secondary School in the carpentry event at the Skills Canada provincial competition May 4-6 at RIM Park in Waterloo. [Scott Barber / The Observer]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/post_news_skills.jpg)
Skills Canada hosts events across the country, pitting the craftiest youngsters around in head to head competition in a wide range of categories from carpentry, electrical and plumping, through landscaping, auto repairs and refrigeration, among others.
Designed to “encourage and support a coordinated Canadian approach to promoting skilled trades and technologies to youth,” the Skills Canada competitions are a great way for students to have fun and show off their abilities.
“It’s a good mix of the theoretical and the practical skills these students are learning in class,” EDSS tech department head Randy Dyck explained. “These young people work very hard at their craft, and these events provide an outlet to showcase all of that hard work.”
Last month, EDSS took part in the Waterloo Region District School Board regional competition.
The auto service technician team of Evan Kreutzkamp and Travis Martin earned silver. The landscape horticulture team of Caitlin Ditner and Tanner Schneider won bronze. Austin Pollard captures bronze in welding; in plumbing, Kordic Weigel placed first, Brock Wagned finished second and Nick Bertlet won bronze. Joey Dynerowicz picked up the gold in refrigeration and Carl Horst grabbed the top spot in electrical. The home build team of Nathan Hergott, Walker Schott, Noah Zeller and Adam Weber placed first, while Ryan French picked up his own gold for automation and PLC control. Lastly, in heating systems, Eric Wright placed first while Taylor Kuchma was runner up.
Next up, the gold medalists, along with Chad Martin and Taylor Knarr in the two-person carpentry event, will show their stuff at the provincials, May 4-6 at RIM park in Waterloo.
Before they take on the best of the best from across Ontario, the home building team and the carpentry crew, with a couple extra hands from Tyler Martin and Nathan Horst, will be building a shed for Habitat for Humanity.
It’s a great way to do something for the community while learning and honing their skills, Dyck said.
“It’s a really nice thing that these young people are going to actually build something that will make a difference for a family in our community. They really enjoy that aspect.”
