MMTC Skills Competition
Messalonskee senior Ryan Plante had always done his own bodywork on his snowmobiles, so he naturally gravitated toward collision repair technology when given the opportunity to enroll in the program this fall at Mid-Maine Technical Center.
Turns out Plante may have found his career path – and if the results of this week’s Local Skill Competition are any indication, Plante seems likely to thrive in the profession. The Belgrade resident was one of nine Messalonskee students to earn a gold medal in the contest.
“I think now that I’m kind of building a portfolio for collision repair, I’ll probably being going down that path,” Plante said. “At least that is the plan for now.”
In fact, Plante currently has an internship at David Mathieu Co., an auto body shop in Waterville, which involves two shifts a week. He said he would consider entering a collision repair program at a Maine community college if he were to earn scholarship money by winning the State SkillsUSA Championships slated March 1-2 at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor.
Students who won a gold medal at the Local Skills Competition qualified for the state meet. The following Messalonskee students joined Plante in achieving that distinction: Parker Brunelle, cabinetmaking; Derrick Butler and Gracie Vicente, digital cinema production; Annie Caron, medical math and medical terminology; Abbey Prescott, nurse assisting; Roslin Desiderio and Molly Milligan, television (video) production; and Nicolas Veilleux, residential wiring-level 2.
In taking first place in the auto collision repair contest, Plante had to fix a dent in a fender using a hammer, a metal block, and Bondo body filler with the goal to get the fender as close to normal condition as possible.
After completing that task, he needed to exhibit his skills at three types of welding. Plante said the focus of judges was on the technique and safety measures displayed by contestants.
Plante and any other competitor who takes first at the state meet qualify for the national championships slated June 25-29 in Louisville, Ky.
| COMPETITION | MEDAL | COMPETITOR |
| CABINETMAKING | Gold | Parker Brunelle |
| COLLISION REPAIR TECHNOLOGY | Gold | Ryan Plante |
| DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION | Gold | Derrick Butler & Gracie Vicente |
| NURSE ASSISTING | Gold | Abbey Prescott |
| RESIDENTIAL WIRING – Level 2 | Gold | Nicholas Veilleux |
| TELEVISION (VIDEO) PRODUCTION | Gold | Roslin Desiderio & Molly Milligan |
| MEDICAL MATH | Gold | Annie Caron |
| MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY | Gold | Annie Caron |
| DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY | Silver | Sydney Orcutt |
| INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | Silver | Dean Simpson |
| NURSE ASSISTING | Silver | Kaylee Burbank |
| PRECISION MACHINING TECHNOLOGY | Silver | Delsin Klein |
| URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE | Silver | David Hreben & Kai McGlauflin |
| AUTOMOTIVE TOOL ID | Bronze | Daniel Henderson |
| CABINETMAKING | Bronze | Jacob Washburn |
| CARPENTRY | Bronze | William Bean |
| DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY | Bronze | Roslin Desiderio |
| MEDICAL MATH | Bronze | Kaylee Burbank |
| RELATED TECHNICAL MATH | Bronze | Dean Simpson |
| RESIDENTIAL WIRING – Level 2 | Bronze | Jacob Dostie |