On January 16, Gunnar and Lars Sarkinen earned 1st and 2nd place respectively at the Southwest Washington regional SkillsUSA Plumbing competition, held at the Construction Industry Training Council (CITC) in Vancouver. Twenty high school students from across the region participated in the plumbing competition.
The success continued the following week when both students competed in the Southwest Washington regional Carpentry competition on Friday, January 23, at the Northwest Carpenters Union Training Center in Portland. Out of 30 high school competitors, Lars placed 1st and Gunnar placed 2nd, marking another impressive showing for Hockinson High School.
As a result of their strong performances, Gunnar and Lars will compete at the Washington State SkillsUSA Championships, taking place April 16-18 in Tacoma. Students may compete in only one event at the state level and will choose between plumbing or carpentry.
Upcoming SkillsUSA Competitions
Angellynn Morales will compete in the regional SkillsUSA Electrical competition on Thursday, January 29, in Ilwaco, and Evan Sudargo will compete in Related Technical Math on Saturday, February 7, at Fort Vancouver High School.
SkillsUSA competitions provide students with hands-on, real-world opportunities to demonstrate technical expertise, problem-solving, and professionalism while preparing for high-demand careers. Hockinson School District congratulates all participating students and wishes them continued success as they advance in competition.