Thirty-eight students from LakeviewCentennialHigh School in the GarlandIndependentSchool District, went to Corpus Christi, Texas, this past weekend to compete in the SKILLSUSA State Skills and Leadership State Finals. Students participated in Chapter Business Procedure, Crime Scene Investigation, Individual Law Enforcement Contest, Building Search, First Aid and CPR, Opening and Closing Ceremony, written tests and Individual projects. The students returned with 16 Gold medals, 6 silver medals, 4 bronze medals and 3 State Superior ribbons. The Chapter Business Team, Crime Scene Investigation Team and the Individual Law Enforcement contest students will advance to represent Texas in the SKILLSUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, MO, June 23 – June 27, 2008. This is the first time that both national SKILLSUSA law enforcement contests have been represented by the same chapter from any one state.

The Chapter Business Team, who has placed second in the state for the last two years,  successfully placed first to represent Texas this year at the national contests. The team is given the minutes, of a previous meeting, treasurer’s report and an agenda for new business one-hour prior to their contest time and must conduct a business meeting properly using all five types of motions according to Robert’s Rules of Order in a 15 minutes time frame. Team members are: Courtney Durr,  parents Darrell and Cecilia Williams, Ethan Day parents Danny and Sherril Day, Jade Crutch, parents Debra Dougherty and Kenneth Crutch, Thomas Byham, parents Scott and Rhonda Byham, Sterlyn English, parents Herman and Judith English and Courtney Shaw, parents Mark and Cathaleen Shaw.

The Crime Scene Investigation Team placed first out of 18 teams last year at nationals to win the gold medal and hopes for a repeat. The Crime Scene Investigation Team must demonstrate proper investigation techniques collecting and marking evidence, photograph the crime scene and sketch the crime scene in thirty minutes. The team then has thirty minutes to write a report and document their evidence. The returning champion Crime Scene Team is Nadia Kassem, parents Karen and Imad Kassem, Cindy Lemus, parents Juan and Teresa Lemus, and Heather Harp, parents Michael and Becky Harp.

The Individual Law Enforcement contest consists of a variety of items encountered by police officers on a daily basis. In this year’s scenario the students took a written test over the penal code, were interviewed as applicants before a police interview board, conducted a four story building search, while having to arrest suspects as they were encountered, conducted a traffic stop, and performed an arrest on a wanted felon.  Celeste Leal, parents Elvis and Maria Leal, took top honors in this event.

Other contests which end at the state level that LakeviewCentennialHigh School students won were:

Criminal Justice Quiz Bowl, First Place winners: Patrick and Janel Overman, parents Mark and Paulette Overman, Christopher Baer, parents Phillip and Nancy Baer, Hayle Shipley, parents    Christopher and Tammy Shipley and Ethan Day, also a member of the Chapter Business Team.

The Occupational Health and Safety Notebook contest is a collection of safety projects a student committee organizes and presents in a notebook format.  Second place winners were: Katherine Bosler, parents Barrett and Teresa Bosler, Katherine Willis, parents Scott and Cassie Willis, Christina Melendez, parents Jesus and Teresa Melendez, Nancy Cifuentes, parents Carlos and Telma Cifuentes, Christina Barnett, parents Donald and Donna Barnett, and Brianna Braddy, parents Mitchell Braddy and June Black-Braddy.

Building Search, students had to demonstrate proper procedure in conducting a building search of a two-story building and arrest suspects as they were encountered. Winning third place was: Johanna Reagan, parents Michael and Tracey Reagan, Andrez Yepes, mother Jeorgina Yepez, and Blaine Berhns, mother Lisa Berhns.

Building Search technical test, this is a written test over criminal law given to the state district’s second and third place winners (only first place district winners in skills contests advance to state to compete) First place Steven Enriquez, parents Sergio Sanchez and Stephanie Enriquez, and third place Thomas Byham, also a member of the chapter business team.

Alex Perez, parents Marco Perez and Cindy Rivas, won a state superior ribbon for his project on Alcatraz Prison.

Alexia Angton, parents Cedric and Bonita Alford, won a state superior ribbon for her project on Landmark Vehicle Search cases.

Francely Martinez, parents Raymundo and Julissa Martinez, scored a 297 of 300 to win a state superior ribbon with her Employment Portfolio Notebook.

Other students participating at the state contests were Antonious Solomon, Victor Foreman, Rodney Bass, Shara Kelly, and Hanna Ernest in Opening and Closing Ceremony and Sabra Davis in First Aid and CPR.

The Lakeview Centennial High School Law Magnet advisors are David Lanman and Annette Kasparian, Principal Gerald Hudson and Garland ISD Career and Technology Director Phil Gilbreath.