BDSS STUDENTS SHOW THEIR SKILLS ON THE PROVINCIAL STAGE

TRIO FROM BDSS PART OF THE BEST SKILLS COMPETITION SHOWING IN DSBN HISTORY

Whether it was in the kitchen, the workshop or the garage, a trio of students from Beamsville Secondary School showed their prowess.

The school celebrated three sterling performances at this year's skills competition, part of the District School Board of Niagara's strongest showing ever at the annual challenge of schools, which tests everything from cooking and food prep to building a doghouse or fixing a car.

Houston Davis, Mile Juras, and Eric Hribljan all came home with some hardware in their respective competitions.

The majority of the competitions were done partially or completely online, making for a unique set of challenges. On the bright side, it meant the students got to work in familiar settings.

"It was still stressful, but I knew the kitchen," said Davis, a Grade 12 student who got a silver in culinary at provincials.

But having worked in kitchens for several years, Davis said he was "used to the pressure."

Here's a rundown of the trio of students and their performances:

HOUSTON DAVIS

A Grade 12 student, Davis finished first in the qualifiers and won silver in the provincials. His competitions required him to

make a full chicken dinner with mushroom soup made from a chicken stock, gravy, potatoes and all the fixings.

"I had to make sure everything was used and had to show all my cuts. I had to show my wastage," he said.

The provincial competition was more about presentation, showing his cuts and proper technique, including cleaning.

MILE JURAS

Competing in individual carpentry, the Grade 11 student won gold at the Niagara level, second at regionals and another gold at provincials. There wasn't a national competition in his category, so that was as far as Juras went.

To succeed, Juras had to show his building and framing prowess, building a doghouse, doing window framing, and ultimately a more advanced framing job for a doghouse/playhouse creation.

ERIC HRIBLJAN

The auto wizard was top three in the country, winning a bronze at nationals after taking a gold at provincials and silver at the Niagara competition.

Hribljan, another Grade 11 student, had to show his understanding and proficiency with several systems and perform tasks like a strut removal and master cylinder overhaul.

He was one of only five DSBN students to compete in the nationals, and the first to do so in the automotive category.