Fortner places at national college competition

Nine Gillette College students, including Spencer Fortner of Biddle, traveled to Louisville, Kentucky last week to compete against thousands of their peers at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Only those students who won first place at the state-level competitions in April were eligible to compete.

SkillsUSA prepares America's high-performance workers and provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. Gillette College students enrolled in technical education programs compete in SkillsUSA each year and consistently excel – this year was no different.

In team competition, students Kade Mennie of Gillette, Lane McFerrin of Gillette, Troy Thompson of Sturgis, S.D. and Andrew George of Gillette placed fourth overall in the Quiz Bowl category.

Gillette College students also placed in the top 30 in five individual competitions. Rhyley Daro of Gillette brought home a fifth place medal in the Customer Service competition. In the Job Interview competition, William Sonnie of Gillette placed ninth. In Job Skills Demonstration, John Gropper placed 11th. Colby Uran of Casper, Wyo. placed 12th overall in Individual Welding. In Diesel Technology, Spencer Fortner of Biddle, Mont., placed 29th.