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Foothills Composite students show their ‘Skills’ in Edmonton

A 23-student contingent from Okotoks high school competed in everything from robotics to graphic design in the Provincial Skills Canada Competition.

Foothills Composite High School sent more than 20 students to compete in the Provincial Skills Canada Competition earlier this month at the Edmonton Expo Centre. 

Held May 3 and 4, the special event was a knowledge and skills tournament for all secondary students within Alberta who qualified through regional competitions.  

Skills Canada started with competition in the traditional trades, but has since expanded to include other areas like baking, cosmetology, photography, public speaking, technology and more. There is a wide range of categories, 31 to be exact. 

The Foothills contingent included 23 students across 12 categories, five of whom won medals. The school has encouraged student participation in Skills Canada for over 10 years. Sometimes teachers motivate a student to register while other times students already know about it.  

Lee Bannister, who teaches design, computer, science and robotics at FCHS and who was also a judge for electronics in the competition, said sometimes students aren’t aware of Skills Canada or the scope of the competition. 

“We see someone who has potential and we go fishing and reel them in,” he said. 

“I think students should look at Skills Alberta and see what is available there because we don't know everything that’s on the list and things change,” Bannister said. 

Some of the Foothills students who participated in the provincial event want to follow the trade as a career, but others are just having fun. 

“I will hopefully use the skills I've acquired in robotics in everyday life but it’s more of a hobby,” said Eddie Donaldson. “Instead of tinkering with a car over the weekend, I like to tinker with robots.”  

He said it was an impactful event and great for building connections with other competitors all over Alberta. Donaldson and his partner Weston Byerley placed ninth in robotics. 

Ethan Geier, bronze medal winner for architecture, said the suspense was intense while waiting for the award ceremony. 

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” he said. 

Geier agreed that Skills Canada is a great opportunity: “The gravity of winning is huge, what that looks like on a resume, to a university. I felt a lot of pride.”  

Emma Alger, who placed 14th in graphic design, hopes to make it a big part of her future. 

“There’s post-secondary Skills (Canada) in my category and I’d like to go to that. For me, it’s about the experience and working to challenge myself more. It’s nice to step outside your comfort zone.”  

Her friend Abby Keeler won second place in photography. 

“I hope to go back next year for the gold. I would like to pursue photography as a career because that’s my passion, or something with biology that allows me to go out and take pictures.” 

She added, “More people should know about Skills and should try to enter. There are a lot of competition zones that our school could have entered in and we didn’t, so I really encourage people to go out and try it because it’s a great experience, especially if you have friends with you.”  

Silus Baekeland is a Foothills Composite High School student doing work experience at the Western Wheel. 

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