Erin Blake, Erin Igoe, Zachary Lachance, Dan Rainone, Lizbeth Brea-Polanco and Kobe Pereira are among some of the best in the nation when it comes to demonstrating their skills.

The students were six of the 13 who traveled to the SkillsUSA national competitions in Lousiville, Ky., over the summer, and who were awarded gold or silver medals in their competitions. All were seniors this year with the exception of Pereira, who graduated as one of the top 10 in his class in June and went on to Brown University.

The students were away for seven days, participating in competitions against their peers from all over the country in their career path programs. Lachance and Rainone, part of the Cranston Area Career & Technical Center (CACTC) pre-engineering and robotics program, earned a silver medal in the robotics and automation technology competition, and Blake, Igoe, Brea-Polanco and Pereira, part of the CACTC Medical Pathways program, earned gold in the Health Knowledge Bowl.

“They asked us a 64 health-related questions and there was a written test also,” Blake said. “I felt pretty confident that we were going to win, although not all my teammates felt as confident.”

The students qualify for the national competition by ranking tops in the spring state competitions earlier in the school year, and then spend those next several months studying and preparing while also fundraising for the trip.

Lachance also felt confident in his team’s performance in the competition.

“We had to program a robot to sort blocks based on whether or not they had a hole in them and on their materials,” he said. “I thought we did well, and that we’d medal, but I wasn’t sure which medal we’d win.”

Preparation and support from school staff is key, according to the students.

“Our teachers, especially Mr. Spidell, really work hard to help us prepare,” Lachance said. “Some students came up to us and asked us who we did so well, and they don’t all have the help that we have here.”

Steve Versacci, faculty advisor for the trip and chef in the culinary arts program at CACTC, felt that this year’s team was the group who bonded the most throughout the trip, as compared to years past.

“These kids come together after the local competitions in March and often no one knows each other very well, and suddenly you’re all in this together. This group was great, a step above anything I’ve seen on any of the past trips,” he said.

Although the group is there for the competition first and foremost, there are memorable experiences including dinners and outings, pin trading with their peers from around the nation, hotel-sponsored “clean room contests,” and other events that the students say will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

“This was one of the best experiences of our school years so far,” Erin Igoe said.

Rainone agrees.

“It was one of the best weeks of my life as far as having fun,” he said.

The SkillsUSA national competitions will take place again in June 2016 and will again be located in Louisville, Ky. For more information about the 11 career pathway programs available at CACTC, visit cpsed.net/cactc.