Six State Titles, One Team

NewsEducation

Apr 21

Hornets qualify multiple teams for national SkillsUSA competition after standout performances across engineering, health care, construction, JROTC, and more

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Students from Henley High School’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs captured six state titles and qualified multiple teams for national competition at the SkillsUSA Oregon State Conference on April 10 and 11.

Henley sent 45 students to the event, representing health occupations, engineering, Junior ROTC and construction. Overall, the Hornets earned six state championships and placed in the top three in 12 of the 14 competitions they entered. Eleven students qualified for the national SkillsUSA conference in Atlanta this June.

“This competition gives students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios,” said Kristi Lebkowsky, Henley High engineering teacher and SkillsUSA advisor. “We’re incredibly proud of the hard work our students put into preparing for this competition and representing our community.”

The national Skills USA organization aims to help students in career and technical education programs develop leadership, teamwork and technical skills through hands-on competitions and industry-connected experiences.

Henley’s state titles included Community Service, Mobile Robotics, Job Interview, Electrical Construction Wiring, Engineering Technology Design and Commercial Drones. In several events, Henley teams swept multiple top placements, including first, second and third in commercial drones and first, second and fourth in job interview. Lebkowsky was awarded SkillsUSA Oregon advisor of the year during the event, and Henley senior Theron Tyler served as the president of SkillsUSA Oregon for 2025-26.

In addition to the hard work of students, Lebkowksy credited efforts of Henley USASkill advisors -- Senior Master Sgt. David Millard, Gretchen Iversen, and Sarah Wilson -- as well as the support from Klamath Community College instructors for the chapter’s success this year.

Students said the competitions required extensive preparation and emphasized practical, real-world skills.

“This is very, very involved,” said Gage McDaniel, an engineering student who competed in both sUAS Commercial Drones and Engineering Technology Design events. “A lot of preparation goes into it.”

McDaniel, along with teammate Thomas Wilson, placed first in the commercial drone competition, while additional Henley teams took second and third. The event challenged students to complete timed obstacle courses using two types of drones -- one flown by direct line of sight and another navigated using only a live camera feed while guided by a teammate.

“You can’t see the course, and your partner has to direct you,” McDaniel said. “It definitely makes it more challenging.”

McDaniel said the experience connects directly to his future goals.

“One day my goal is to be a fighter pilot at Kingsley Field,” he said. “Drones are obviously very applicable to that, and placing at nationals is something I can add to my resume.”

Elizabeth Say, a JROTC student who placed second in the drone competition, said the event pushed her to adapt quickly.

“It was different than what we practiced,” she said. “We had to rely on our teammates to guide us, especially when we couldn’t see the course.”

Say said the experience, while not directly tied to her career plans, was valuable.

“I just wanted to try something new through JROTC,” she said. “It was a great opportunity to challenge myself.”

In Electrical Construction Wiring, freshman Brayden Hadwick earned a state title after completing a detailed, hands-on wiring project under strict guidelines.

“You have to follow the instructions exactly, and everything has to be clean—how you bend the wire, how you place everything,” Hadwick said.

The competition required students to wire a series of connected electrical boxes using limited space and materials, with judging based on both accuracy and craftsmanship.

Hadwick said much of his preparation came from hands-on experience and peer mentorship.

“I’ve always wanted to be an electrician,” he said. “This showed me it’s something I want to pursue.”

Lebkowsky said Hadwick’s success highlights the strength of student-led learning. “The training came from another student,” she said. “It’s a great example of students teaching students and then seeing that success at the state level.”

Engineering students also earned first and second place in the Engineering Technology Design competition, where teams identify a real-world problem, develop a solution and present a working prototype.

McDaniel and his teammates earned second place with a project focused on automating water level monitoring in irrigation canals -- work typically done manually by engineers.

“Our goal was to eliminate the need for someone to spend an entire day checking wells,” McDaniel said. “Our device measures the water level and sends the data back to a computer automatically.”

The prototype used a distance sensor connected to a small computer board to measure water levels with a high degree of accuracy, demonstrating potential real-world applications in local irrigation systems.

In Health Occupations, students competed in a range of hands-on medical scenarios. Taylor Gaudin placed second in Basic Health Care Skills, while Shae Castaneda placed second in Medical Terminology. Both Gaudin and Castaneda later learned they had qualified for nationals.

Castaneda said the competitions tested both technical knowledge and practical application.

“We did everything from taking vital signs to creating a nutrition plan and doing a job interview,” she said. “In first aid and CPR, we had to respond to scenarios like a choking infant or someone overheating and act them out.”

She said the experience reinforced her long-term goals in the medical field.

“I want to go into pre-med and become a doctor,” Castaneda said. “This is really good because I’m already learning the basics and building confidence in those skills.”

Students also competed in events such as Quiz Bowl, where teams answered questions about SkillsUSA knowledge and procedures, and a variety of engineering, construction and public safety competitions.

Lebkowsky said the breadth of participation reflects the strength and continued growth of Henley’s CTE programs.

“Students from multiple pathways are getting involved and finding success,” she said. “They’re gaining confidence, technical skills and experience that will serve them well after graduation.”

The national SkillsUSA conference will be held in Atlanta in June, where Henley students will compete against top qualifiers from across the country.