By Kellah Lavoie

Show me your skills

Apr 13, 2011 | 5:19 PM

On Thursday a group of eager Prince Albert students, with teachers in tow, will head to Moose Jaw to compete.

They will be showing off their skills in a variety of 33 different trades and technologies at the Skills Canada Saskatchewan competition.

Greg Walker, a PACI teacher, is leading two teams of two into the TV/video production competition.

“Our competitors will be given a topic on Friday morning and they will have about five hours to storyboard, plan, film, edit and export their movie,” he said.

Three of his students only have about three months of experience and the other has a year and a half.

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All are new to Skill Canada.

“It’s not an easy thing to win,” he said, explaining they have taken the top spot the last two years in the category.

Brian Linn, a Carlton Comprehensive High School teacher, is heading up a crew of 27 who are competing in 11 different categories.

He referred to it as an Olympic style competition, with all the different events practicing separately, but coming together as a team to compete.

He said for the past six years he has been with the Carlton team, competition has been getting fiercer, but his team is “fired up” and confident.

“I found for training students in the past, as long as the attitude is there I can give them the skills to do well in the competition. It’s more of if they’re eager, willing and wanting to get involved we can give them the skills,” he said, explaining it is why the school has such a strong record in the competition.

“For the years that I’ve been involved we’ve been the highest medalling team of all the schools. Last year we more than doubled the second place school in the overall medal count,” said Linn.

They even have winners who went to nationals last year and are hoping to reclaim their provincial title.

For the four PACI students, Veronica Lalonde, Brandon Leslie, LJ Kimbley and Nikki Halkett, it is a first time venture.

They are taking all of their knowledge out from their computer programming technology (CPT) class.

“I am expecting it to be pretty tough. This is my first year in CPT so I don’t know a lot about it, but hopefully we will manage,” said Leslie.

“I am not expecting to do excellent, but pretty good.”

Carlton is sending Lucas Smith and Taylor Johnson to the competition for the cooking competition.

Each of the students is on their own team.

They will have three hours to make pan seared salmon with buerre blanc sauce, braised celery and dessert.

“We’ve been practicing after school and during my commercial cooking class,” said Smith.

The competition is not just about great tasting food – every step and method is examined.

“It’s supposed to look like it’s a clean kitchen all the time and we can’t waste food and (you have to) use your time wisely,” he said.

Johnson only got into the competition about two weeks ago, but since it is her last year in high school she didn’t want to miss out on the chance.

“I had to do it. It is my last year, do whatever you can,” she said, explaining even with the short practice time she is very confident going in.

The competition isn’t over when awards are handed out on Friday – those who win will compete nationally in Quebec City on June 2-4.

klavoie@panow.com