COURTESY PHOTO
Advisor Brad Ryun, right, stands with Fremont High School state Skills USA champions Grant Rump, Brandon Gallo and Henry Hiebenthal. Morgan Ondracek also won a state title.
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It was a championship performance for Fremont High School during the State Skills USA competition that was conducted April 7-9 in Grand Island.
Henry Hiebenthal, Brandon Gallo, Morgan Ondracek and Grant Rump all won state titles for the Tigers and advance to the national competition June 20-24 in Atlanta.
“It was a good showing by our Fremont High kids,” said Brad Ryun, advisor. “I think it shows the diversity that our students have and their skills.”
Ryun said the Tigers have competed in the event for the past nine or 10 years.
Hiebenthal, a senior, won his championship in welding.
“The competition was set up where they had a big project and they had to use all of their processes and a bunch of different welding positions,” Ryun said. “They also had to take a written test and they got graded on safety and had to do an interview.”
Gallo, a junior, captured first in precision machining in which he worked on two separate projects.
“When they weren’t doing that, they were doing a measurement portion where they had to sit down and … measure specific sizes for materials, just like you would do during a project in industry,” Ryun said.
Ondracek, a senior, earned first in early childhood education.
“Her mom is a local elementary school teacher,” Ryun said. “She had to create lesson plans based on a children’s book and participate in interviews and resume writing and all of that.”
Rump, a junior, was a state champ in criminal justice.
“He had to go through a bunch of scenarios that a normal law enforcement officer would have to go through,” Ryun said. “In speaking to his contest coordinator and judges, they were very impressed with him and could tell he had experience in law enforcement. His dad has been a state patrol officer and they could tell he had grown up in law enforcement. Once he got to high school he started taking some criminal justice classes and that really honed his skills.”
Ryun said the judges and coordinators have been impressed with the Fremont students through the years.
“They look at our students and they know they are prepared,” he said. “They are ready to go to work. We have a track record of Skills USA students around the country right now that got the right contacts, and received scholarships and leadership opportunities that are making them who they are today.”
Ryun said many people contributed to the championships, including the Nebraska State Patrol and Jim Butts of the Fremont Police Department (criminal justice). Others who have provided their assistance and expertise include Chris Ondracek (Early Childhood Education), Keith Cunnings (Machining), and Rob Hocking (MCC welding).
“We thank them for the hours that they put in to help our (students) get to the level to achieve their state championships,” he said. “They will be key going forward to give our students the extra training it will take to compete at the National Skills USA Leadership and Skills Conference in June.”
Ryun said it will be a great opportunity for the Tigers.
“There will be about 8,000 state champions there competing,” he said. “It is a really good chance for these kids to talk to people from around the country and learn a little bit about their culture and work hand-in-hand with them on certain projects. It is a huge chance for our kids to grow.”
Ryun noted that nationals will cost the Fremont chapter between $6,000-$8,000. If anyone is interested in donating to the organization, they can contact Ryun at brad.ryun@fpsmail or Keith Cunnings at keith.cunnings@fpsmail.org or call the school at 402-727-3050.