Cake, cameras, and commitment await in Davie High’s Learning Commons. An iconic Davie-themed backdrop shadowing them, eight seniors sit, pens in hand and smiles on faces, as they prepare to sign and make a commitment to their futures. The sight is a familiar one for students and staff in the athletic community, but these seniors are making a different kind of commitment.
After school on May 14, these future craftsmen, tradesmen, mechanics, and technicians were given the opportunity to be honored in Davie’s first non-athletic signing day. The event was made possible through the work of Davie High junior Jackson Barrett, the 2024-2025 school year SkillsUSA President, who received a $1,000 grant from the Davie Respect Initiative to make this signing day possible.
Each of these seniors is a member of Davie High’s chapter of SkillsUSA, a trade-based competitive organization that focuses on growth in skills used in a trade or CTE-related field (career and technical education). The club spends a lot of time working on projects and presentations that are brought to state and regional competitions, and if the group is successful enough, they can qualify for nationals. Much like signing days for athletics, this event was conceived as a way to celebrate and honor the achievements of these students.
Angela Reeves is a teacher at Davie High and an advisor for SkillsUSA. She explains how this club can impact students and their pursuit of higher education. It can help them learn and grow in certain areas that apply to various careers and industries.
“SkillsUSA helps high school students develop essential skills, gain recognition through state and national competitions, and network with professionals,” Reeves said. “SkillsUSA can open doors for our students and provide opportunities that could change their lives.”
Eight seniors participated in this signing, including Fernando Rosas, Jaydon Leanord, Christopher Arroyo Mercelino, Matthew Garcia-Duarte, Jacob Moore, Nicholas Dwiggins, Levi Taylor, and Bryce McPherson. All of these seniors have been involved in SkillsUSA for some part of their high school career and plan to continue their careers in a CTE field. While for students like Fernando Rosas, this event is not the only time they have been recognized for their accomplishments, that did not make the ceremony any less important for him or his peers.
“I know we do this a lot for our athletes, but I think it’s something that more clubs should be doing because it’s exciting and important for the people here,” Rosas said. “I definitely feel like it was important to me.”
While each of these seniors have different plans for their future, some have already seen firsthand how the skills they’ve developed through the club and their classes will carry over into the job market. Two years ago, senior Jaydon Leonard, who plans to attend NC State University in the fall for mechanical engineering, began an internship with Avgol, where he used his knowledge of 3D printing to build parts they are currently using on their manufacturing lines.
“The internships and SkillsUSA are directly connected, because at my internship, we made parts and 3D printed those parts and we can see those in today’s work,” Leonard said.
Barrett hopes that this signing will bring attention to the club and motivate people to join. SkillsUSA welcomes everyone, and they wish to invite more students into their club.
“It was encouraging. It encourages me that these people were willing to come out and support these kids,” Barrett said. “Maybe we just need to get other people to come join it; it’s for anyone and everyone. I want to encourage others to do the same, and we’re hoping this program will shine a light to bring more people into SkillsUSA.”
