Electronics team going to state competition
Based on their outstanding scores in regional competition, a team of 10 IVCC electronics students is competing at the state finals of the Illinois Association of Electricity and Electronics Instructors Skills Contest at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis.
In A+ Certification, Jeff Lane of Marseilles finished first, Frank Cinotto of Spring Valley second and Jason Kovalcik of Streator third. In AC/DC/Solid State Electronics, Matt Wagner of Bureau finished first, Dustin Eirhart of Ottawa second and Paul Bosi of LaSalle third.
Albert Butler finished first in Basic Electricity. In Digital Electronics, Rosey Duncan of Mendota finished second. Aaron Handzus of Streator finished first in the Electrician’s division. In Motors, Motor Control and PLC, Jason Cooke of Oglesby finished first and Jake Selner of Peru, second.
Electronics instructor Jim Gibson said, "I was surprised at how well they’d done. I knew they were good students, but I didn’t know how great they were."
At press time, results of the state competition were not available.
Last year, eight IVCC students qualified for the IAEEE state finals and the group brought home two firsts and a Best in State.
"I’ve got industry saying our students are good, and now I’ve got testing saying our students are good," Gibson said.
The students who have done well in the competitions have an easy time finding jobs, Gibson said. "A lot of it is self esteem and confidence," he added.
"I really do believe we have the best electronics program in the state," Gibson said.
The Apache April 29, 1999