On Thursday, March 9th, Fannin County High School’s SkillsUSA Chapter attended the State Leadership and Skills Conference to compete in the SkillsUSA events. We had four students competing in state contests. Emma Pittman competed in the Automotive Electrical and Ignition Systems. Emma took a written test to advance to the top 16 where she competed hands-on for the championship. Emma finished in third place and won a bronze medal for her efforts. Dane Robbins competed in Automotive Paint and Refinishing. Dane completed a written test to advance to the hands-on portion. He finished third and was awarded a bronze medal for his efforts. We had two students that competed with an opportunity to advance to the national competition. Brooklyn Henderson competed in Prepared Speech. Brooklyn competed in the regional competition where she finished second. The second place finish allowed her to advance to the State Championship. Brooklyn did a great job presenting her speech in which she received a lot of positive feedback from the judges but did not place in the top three. Daniel Gibson competed in the Automotive Technology Service and Repair competition. Daniel placed third in the regional competition which allowed him to move on to the state competition. Daniel did his best but was not able to advance to the national competition. Also, there was a trade show at the conference. Our students were able to make some great contacts and try their hands at various skills such as laying tile, driving nails, participating in welding, truck- driving, and heavy-equipment simulations while also practicing other trade skills as well. This trip was a huge success and benefited every student that attended. We hope to grow our chapter next year and have more students compete in the various competitions that are offered.