Area students competed in the South District Region of Alabama SkillsUSA Competition on Feb. 20 at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen.

The conference showcases career and technical education events where more than 200 outstanding career and technical education students competed hands-on in different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Greenville High School students Adam Carstens and Wesley Peebles won first place in their respective event. Carstens competed in Electronics Technology, while Peebles competed in Electromechanical Motor Controls, a division of Industrial Maintenance. Additionally, these two students will travel to Birmingham in April to compete in the Alabama SkillsUSA Competition.

“We are very proud of their accomplishments,” said William Champion, an advisor at GHS. “Adam and Wesley are extremely dedicated to excellence in their trades and their leadership skills.”

During the SOUTH District Competition, Carstens and Peebles, as well as other Greenville High School students, worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, industrial maintenance and welding. The contest was run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry. In addition, leadership contestants demonstrated their skills, which included extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings by parliamentary procedure.

Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade. The SkillsUSA Competitions are for high school and college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA.

SkillsUSA is a national partnership of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA chapters help students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations excel. SkillsUSA has more than 300,000 students and instructors as members.