<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>From staff reports</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Three northern Beaufort County students from the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence (ACE) brought home medals from the 2022 State Leadership and Skills Conference held March 24-26 in Greenville.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The annual Skills USA conference was a showcase of career and technical education (CTE) students in our state where outstanding students competed in different trade, technical and leadership events.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Beaufort High School’s Quaevion Chisolm won third place in Barbering, while Beaufort classmates Andrea Beck and Niasha Wright finished second and third, respectively, in Hair Braiding – Natural.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>During the state Skills USA competition, ACE CTE students worked against the clock, proving their expertise in occupations such as cosmetology, construction, barbering, electricity and medical assisting. All contests are run by Skills USA with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, testing competencies set by industry. In addition, leadership contestants demonstrated their skills, which included extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings using parliamentary procedure.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and scholarships to further their careers and education.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->