Metropolitan Education District

Press Release

Metropolitan Education District
760 Hillsdale Ave
San Jose, CA 95136
May 04, 2011

Contact: Michelle Alaimo
Communication Specialist
(408) 723-6464
malaimo@metroed.net

Seven CCOC Students Named Best in the State at SkillsUSA State Competition

Seven Central County Occupational Center (CCOC) students were awarded Gold medals and named best in the state in their field at SkillsUSA State Competition held from April 28 to May 1 in San Diego, California. A total of 21 high school and adult students won medals at the annual competition.

Six CCOC students took home the silver, and eight took home a bronze medal. Kyle Cox from CCOC's Diesel Truck Mechanics Program and Pioneer High School, received a $8,500 scholarship to Wyotech in addition to his Gold medal. Cox and six other gold medalists will advance to the SkillsUSA Nationals competition in June in Kansas City.

"The students did extremely well and it was one of CCOC's best years ever at SkillsUSA," CCOC Truck Mechanics instructor and SkillsUSA advisor, Mike Cortese, said. "CCOC's students were well prepared and really demonstrated the skills that they have learned in their classes at CCOC."

This was also the first year that CCOC competed in the Dental and Medical Assisting competitions and CCOC did extremely well with students taking home the gold in both categories.

Students competed in the areas of Auto Service Technology, Automotive Refinishing Technician, Carpentry, CNC Milling, Collision Repair Technology, Computer Maintenance Technology, Dental Assisting, Diesel Equipment Technology, First Aid/CPR, HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, & Refrigeration), Medical Assisting, and Welding.

Other medal winners are:

Gold - Diamond Saenesouk for Automotive Refinishing Technician and Andrew Hill High School; Matthew Demore for Carpentry in the post-secondary category; Keely Jaramillo for Dental Assisting and Pioneer High School; Daniel Moreno for HVACR and Broadway/Liberty High School; Adult student Oscar Munguia HVACR in the post-secondary category; Jessica Santiago for Medical Assisting and Oak Grove High School.

Silver - Da Yu Li for Carpentry and Independence High School; Ethan Thompson for CNC Milling in the post-secondary category; Sara Jaramillo for Dental Assisting and Gunderson High School; Armando Pena for Diesel Equipment Technology and Santa Clara High School; Ionna Markolefas for First Aid/CPR and Leland High School; David Duran for HVACR and Wilcox High School.

Bronze - Cristian Echeagaray for Auto Service Technology and Santa Teresa High School; Ismael Hernandez for Auto Service Technology and Mt. Pleasant High School; Jomar Orencia for Auto Service Technology and Milpitas High School; Fernando Perez for Auto Service Technology and James Lick High School; Brian Winston for Computer Maintenance Technology and Job Corps; Adult student Christopher Welch for Diesel Equipment Technology in the post secondary category; Adult student George Barnes for HVACR; Joseph Call for Welding and Job Corps.

SkillsUSA is a national organization for career-technical education students within trade, technical, industrial and health occupations. Annual competitions are held to encourage students to challenge themselves within their chosen technical careers.

CCOC, a unit of MetroED, provides career-technical education for high school students in six districts: Campbell Union High School District, East Side Union High School District, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Milpitas Unified School District, San Jose Unified School District, and Santa Clara Unified School District. Students attend CCOC for half of their school day and the other half they attend their home high school.