Ella Kirkland at national competition. (Carlton/Facebook)

By Jaryn Vecchio

National Recognition

P.A. and Birch Hills students compete at National Skills competition

May 29, 2023 | 4:00 PM

Two students from Prince Albert and one from Birch Hills are back at school after representing the province on a national stage.

Ryan James and Ella Kirkland from Carlton Comprehensive Public High School and Marissa Babbings from Birch Hills Public School were in Winnipeg last week after qualifying for the 2023 Skills Canada National Competition.

According to Skills Canada, these are the only multi-trade and technology competitions for students and apprentices in the country.

The three earned their spot after winning gold in their field of choice during the provincial competitions.

Kirkland ended up placing fifth in baking, though finishing in the top half of scoring as there were 10 competitors.

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“I’m beyond proud of that,” she said.

She noted the entire event was hectic as there were thousands of students attending from across the country.

“It was much bigger than I thought it was going to be,” Kirkland said. “It was exciting to see all the trades, not just baking.”

One of the highlights of the events for her was getting to watch post-secondary students bake as they were tasked with creating chocolate sculptures.

Moving forward, Kirkland – who’s in Grade 12 – plans on studying chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan.

Ryan James at national competition. (Carlton/Facebook)

James, who’s also in Grade 12, came in ninthin electrical. While he didn’t get the medal he was hoping for, he explained it’s something he’ll remember for a long time.

“The atmosphere, there were thousands of students walking by… kids walking around yelling and crying,” he said.

It got to the point that James had to wear earplugs during his 12-hour competition just so he could focus on the task.

James doesn’t have any immediate plans on becoming an electrician in the future. Instead, he wants to be an engineer.

“I still want to try out university and see how that goes, but it’s a good backup plan,” he said.

Marissa Babbings at provincial competition. (submitted photo/Robyn Stanford)

As for Babbings, the youngest of the three in Grade 9 finished seventh among 11 competitors in cooking.

“I was quite proud of myself, knowing that I was in Grade 9 going up against all these older people and getting seventh in the country,” she said.

In fact, she was the only Grade 9 student in the competition.

Just like Kirkland and James, Babbings noted there was a lot of commotion throughout the event.

“We had students watching us all the time and asking us if they could eat our food.”

She plans on competing again with hopes of topping her seventh-place finish.

Babbings added she had a real passion for cooking, but she’s still unsure if she wants to pursue it as a career.

—

Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow