COLUMBUS - Sentinel Career and Technology Center students' desire to aim high is reflected in the school's chapter display at the 60th annual Skills-USA Ohio championships this weekend.
The display was built around an amusement park theme and features a Ferris wheel and carousel. Sara Shellhorn, a senior public safety services student from Mohawk High School, said she came up with the idea to include a Ferris wheel to represent the idea that Sentinel students strive to reach to the top.
"It was a process, a long process," she said.
Shellhorn is one of four Sentinel students who are to present the facility's chapter display during judging today.
Tyler Toland, a junior electrical trades student from Upper Sandusky High School; Eric Radford, a junior building trades student from Upper Sandusky High School; and Jeffrey McCrann, a junior building trades student from Seneca East High School, also are on the presentation team.
Radford said the Ferris wheel spins, and Toland said the wheel's spinning helps power lights. Horses on the carousel move up and down, and Toland said a motor and belt turn the carousel.
There were 1,746 hours of work on the project. Forty-one students from the building trades, collision repair, computer automated design, computer communications network technician, cosmetology, electrical trades, precision machining and welding programs assisted with the hands-on work. Every program had a student participate on a committee for the chapter display.
Shellhorn said she didn't think the display would turn out like it did, and she was pleased with the result.
"It looks amazing," she said.
Shellhorn had to memorize a seven-minute speech for today's judging, and she said she was nervous, excited and ready Friday afternoon.
"They'll be standing behind me," she said about her teammates.
Team members said their goal was to do the best they could and win. McCrann said he thought the team had a chance at winning a gold medal.
It has "a lot of time and dedication to it (and) good ideas," he said.
Three seniors in Sentinel's cosmetology program competed in the Tech Prep showcase for cosmetology Friday.
Deana Halcomb, a Hopewell-Loudon High School student, said the competition involves the team explaining what it did to bring the community, business and industry into the career center.
The team started organizing a project in January to teach first-graders about hygiene. They explained how to clean fingernails, styled the children's hair and gave them manicures and pedicures.
"(The project) was so much fun," said Sara Ernst, a student at Calvert High School.
The team was interviewed by three judges for the state competition.
"We were the first team to go," said Ginny Becker, a student at Old Fort High School.
Becker said she thought it went well.
"We prepared, and we knew what we were talking about," she said.
Brandon Hicks, a senior in Sentinel's building trades program and at Columbian High School, is competing in the two-day carpentry contest. He took the written test Friday and is to compete in the hands-on portion today.
Competitors got to see the plans Friday for the miniature house they are to build today.
"The contest is a lot harder than last year. ... I competed last year and got second," he said.
Hicks said he would love to win so he could go to the national competition. He practiced every day at school and usually every Sunday in preparation for state competition. It takes a lot of preparation to do well, he said.
"(I'm) nervous and ready," he said.
