LPS students capture top honors at Nebraska SkillsUSA state contest

May 9, 2025

Northeast High School senior Jaxson Fleming used his detailed knowledge about small engines to reap a big SkillsUSA reward this spring.
 
Fleming earned a trip to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference by winning the power equipment technology contest at the Nebraska SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Championships. Fleming answered 100 questions about liquid-cooled and air-cooled small engines before diagnosing ten small engine problems. He successfully completed tasks about engine service requirements, hydraulic systems and powertrain components.
 
Northeast SkillsUSA Advisor Sarahi Lopez said she was proud of Fleming for his state efforts. He will travel to Atlanta for the national contest June 23-27. More than 17,500 students, advisors and business professionals are scheduled to attend the conference.
 
“He worked hard,” Lopez said. “He has been competing in this competition for about three years now, and finally his hard work is being shown. He gets to go show off his skills this June.”

North Star SkillsUSA Advisor Amanda Woodward also said she was happy with the chapter’s state appearance. Multiple Navigators earned trips to the national contest.

“This is one of the best moments of my teaching career so far,” Woodward said. “Each year these students work really hard, and I always think that they deserve to go to nationals, so to see that work pay off was incredible.”

 
Nebraska students became eligible for nationals by winning contests at the state leadership conference, which took place this spring in Grand Island. LPS chapters from East, North Star, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest and The Career Academy took part in nearly 90 contests on subjects ranging from additive manufacturing to technical computer applications.
 
Allyn Gonsor teaches engineering and robotics at East and advises the school’s SkillsUSA chapter. He felt the Spartans showcased major growth in different areas of their contests. He said his robotics team used the engineering design process to build the best possible robot for state.
 
“Students across the board learn so much from competing at the SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference,” Gonsor said. “Not only do they become very competent in their contest area, they also learn to be very proficient at problem solving, working through adversity, adapting to changing environments and being great teammates.”

Woodward said SkillsUSA activities have also benefited her students in many ways. They have developed traits such as work ethic, perseverance and determination by completing tasks alongside their classmates.

“SkillsUSA gives us time outside the classroom, at conferences and competitions, where I see who they are when they’re tired, stressed and away from home,” Woodward said. “And more often than not, they choose to do the right thing, even when no one’s watching. That’s the good stuff, where we’re able to develop these students into positive productive citizens. The time we spend participating in our program of work is a big part of it!”
 
State participants showcased those skills in a wide variety of disciplines. For example, North Star student Jacob Kitten earned a gold medal in the aviation maintenance category for his knowledge of airplanes. Judges tested students on their expertise in installing aircraft wheels, identifying aircraft tools and working with hand rivets and safety wires.

 
The Career Academy students River Hill, Dominic Crowner, Jacob Duncan, Sophie Wilder and Parker Littrell and North Star students Jenny Dinh, Jolnar Khammoo and Natalie Archer also captured gold medals. They collected state championships in bridge building, commercial roofing, community service, culinary arts and restaurant service categories.
 
Nebraska SkillsUSA leaders recognized Woodward with the Nebraska SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year Award. Woodward has taught at Lincoln Public Schools since 2019 and leads the Aviation and Technical Education Focus Program at North Star. The program includes Power Mechanics, Aviation I, Aviation II, Advanced Aviation Flight, Advanced Aviation Maintenance and Aviation Internship courses.

“This honor made me feel like I’m really doing my job right,” Woodward said. “The students honoring me said that I’m like a mom away from home.”

North Star also earned a gold medal in the Chapter Excellence Program (CEP). The CEP honors students for achieving multiple standards of excellence in their SkillsUSA chapter activities. The Navigators increased their personal, technical and workplace skills throughout the year.

Want to learn more about Career and Technical Education student organizations at LPS? Visit our website at https://home.lps.org/cte/student-organizations/.

2025 Nebraska State Leadership and Skills Championships Results

Audio Radio Production: James King and James Rodney (Northwest, Bronze)
Aviation Maintenance: Jacob Kitten (North Star, Gold)
Bridge Building – Senior: River Hill (The Career Academy, Gold)
Bridge Building – Senior: Ethan Bloom (The Career Academy, Silver)
Chapter Excellence Program: North Star (Gold),
Cabinetmaking: Joe Pageler (The Career Academy, Bronze)
Commercial Roofing: Dominic Crowner (The Career Academy, Gold)
Community Service: Jenny Dinh, Jolnar Khammoo, Natalie Archer (North Star, Gold)
Computer Programming: Jacob Duncan (The Career Academy, Gold)
Computer Programming: Carter Crist (The Career Academy, Bronze)
Culinary Arts: Sophie Wilder (The Career Academy, Gold)
Early Childhood Education: Skye Tabke (Northwest, Silver)
Introduction to Woodworking: Jamis Peterson (The Career Academy, Bronze)
Job Skill Demonstration A: Alyssa Jones (North Star, Silver)
Job Skill Demonstration A: Jaxson Yaussi (North Star, Bronze)
Mobile Robotics Technology: Noah Foreman and Grayson Ahl (Northwest, Bronze)
Mousetrap Vehicle Distance – Senior: Tristan Didrickson (The Career Academy, Bronze)
Power Equipment Technology: Jaxson Fleming (Northeast, Gold)
Restaurant Service: Parker Littrell (The Career Academy, Gold)
Technical Drafting: Mina Nguyen (North Star, Bronze)

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