Winnipeg School Division celebrates Skills Manitoba Champions

Winnipeg School Division is proud to celebrate the remarkable achievements of its talented students who participated in the recent 27th Skills Manitoba Provincial Competition. 

Skills Manitoba is a one-day competition that allows young Manitobans to showcase their talents in an Olympic-style, province-wide contest. Students compete in over 40 different hands-on contests at the secondary and post-secondary/apprentice levels, designed and judged by industry professionals and educators.  

"This is the most fun thing in my career," says Carolyn Evans Helmer, Grant Park High School’s robotics club coach and computer science teacher, who excels at bringing the computer science program alive at Grant Park and making it more inspiring. 
 
The team performed with their custom-made robots at the competition. "Students make games and software, but I was thinking it would be fun to program a robot, plus it would just be fun to build a robot,” Helmer says. 

The competition's philosophy is to reward students, involve the industry, and keep training relevant to employers' needs. Winners of the provincial competition may form Team Manitoba and compete against their peers at the Skills Canada National Competition. 

For competitions like the mobile robotics category, students begin preparing months in advance. "They get the challenge in early September," explains Helmer. “Some of them stick to a self-imposed schedule to get things done early so they can give themselves time to practice." 

The students' success reflects their dedication and hard work. For robotics team members, preparation involves programming, building, testing, and redesigning. "It's an iterative process. You rebuild, and then you rebuild it again," Helmer describes. 
 

Sisler CREATE and Sisler Cyber Security students also performed well at this year's Skills Manitoba in the 2D and 3D Animation, Game Art, Video Production and IT Network Systems Admin categories. Their consistent and strong showing across multiple technical categories highlights the excellence of Sisler High School's specialized technology programs.

Two teams of Tec Voc High School students took part in the videography competition. In five hours, they had to film and edit a video explaining the skilled trades and the career benefits of being a skilled worker. These students are in the Broadcast Media Arts (BMA) program at Tec Voc, which offers its students a comprehensive four-year journey into digital media production with an emphasis on lived experience storytelling and visual language.  

Students gain hands-on experience with video, audio, and live production technology, honing skills from video editing and motion graphics to camera operation and on-set direction. It prepares them for corporate videography, live television broadcasting, film production, and new media careers. 

Will Kooistra, instructor of the BMA program at Tec Voc, explains that he had a team of Grade 12 students, Rue and Marianne, compete at Skills Manitoba for their second year in a row. This year, they snagged a bronze medal after placing fourth last year. Another team, Elijah and Mikayla, competed in video production for the first time and placed in the middle of the pack amongst the other competitors. 
 
“They learned a lot and hope to compete next year!" Kooistra says.  

Michael and Jonah proudly represented the Photography department of Tec Voc High School at Skills Manitoba. 

“I held my own against more experienced students—next year, I’m aiming for gold,” said Michael Mashinter. Despite facing students with more years of experience, Michael rose to the challenge and is already looking ahead to next year’s competition. 

“Skills Manitoba was a fabulous experience. I encourage anyone who has the chance to go to enjoy it as much as you can,” mentioned Jonah Cacal. Jonah appreciated the positive environment and praised Red River College for hosting a well-organized event. Both students found the experience memorable and encouraging. 

Many other WSD students participated in specialized technical competitions related to metal work, automotives, machining, welding, woodwork, electrical installations, and more.  

"I'm especially proud of how our students represented us at the Skills competition this year. Soon Kuan, who earned Bronze in Precision Machining, demonstrated outstanding focus and craftsmanship,” shares Vance Halldorson, a teacher in Innovative Manufacturing Technology, Machining Technology, Welding Technology at Tec Voc. “His success reflects the kind of dedication and excellence we strive to instill in all our students."  

Tec Voc's machining program is vital to WSD's broader STEAM programs, blending technical skills with creative problem-solving. Students gain hands-on experience with industry-grade tools and technology, preparing them for manufacturing trades and engineering programs at the university level. 

Winnipeg School Division celebrates our talented young students and looks forward to their continued success as they pursue their educational and career goals as skilled workers. 

Gold Medal Winners 

• Richelle Galgo and Psalm Samuel, Sisler High School in 2D Character Computer Animation 
• Aulden Szczepanik and Justin Chommany, Sisler High School in 3D Character Computer Animation 
• Zachary Gray, Tec Voc High School in Graphic Design (PS) 
• Jed Manaloto, Sisler High School in IT Network Systems Admin (S) 
• Zildjian Leonor, Tec Voc High School in Mechanical Engineering CAD (S) 
• Youssef Abdrabbo and Erin Jones, Grant Park High School in Mobile Robotics (S) 
• Jonah Cacal, Tec Voc High School in Photography (S) 

Silver Medal Winners 

• Nev Michelle and Valen Curtis, Sisler High School in 2D Character Animation 
• Eduard Herashchenko, Sisler High School in 3D Digital Game Art (PS) 
• Miranda Carvell, Tec Voc High School in Baking 
• David Yang and Dillon Runke, Grant Park High School in Mobile Robotics (S) 
• Benjo Santos and Joshua Caleb Saladaga, Sisler High School in Video Production (S) 

Bronze Medal Winners 

• Johans Magnaye, Tec Voc High School in Graphic Design (PS) 
• Gurshabd Bajwa, Grant Park High School in Mechanical Engineering CAD (S) 
• Michael Mashinter, Tec Voc High School in Photography (PS) 
• Soon Woo Kuan, Tec Voc High School in Precision Machining 
• Ruedasia Blanco and Marianne Ilano, Tec Voc High School in Video Production (S)