Twenty-five students in various programs at Tolles participated in the SkillsUSA state competition on April 24th. Power Sports & Automotive Services senior Noah Adkins (West Jefferson) won a gold medal in Outdoor Power Equipment.
The Outdoor Power Equipment competition includes equipment like riding and push mowers, generators, chainsaws, line trimmers, tillers, and snow blowers. Competitors rotated around stations completing tasks including: fastener identification, electrical troubleshooting, chainsaw service, location information in service manuals, parts lookups, a written knowledge test and more.
Last year Noah Adkins placed 4th in the same competition. For Adkins, another year meant more preparation. “It was challenging…that’s for sure, but this year, I was more familiar and had more in-depth knowledge and more experience,” says Adkins.
Tolles’ Power Sports & Automotive Services instructor Gregg Hansel sang Adkins’ praises. “Noah is the best troubleshooter I’ve ever had as a student. He’s good at applying instruction to problems and using critical thinking to resolve problems. He hustles everyday at school and wants to work on everything in the room. Because he takes advantage of his time, he learns more than the average student.”
Adkins has been awarded several scholarships for his efforts in SkillsUSA and in his program at Tolles including one for $10,000 from Ohio Technical College. He will be going on to the National SkillsUSA Championships in Louisville, Kentucky during the last week of June to compete against other first place finishers from every state.
Students who also won medals at the competition include:
Mackenzie Gantz (Jonathan Alder) , bronze medal in Photography
Ian Moore (Hilliard Davidson) , bronze medal in Automotive Technology
Charles Palmer (Hilliard Davidson) , bronze in Outdoor Power Equipment
Nick Saylor (Hilliard Bradley) , Silver in Motorcycle