CHS Senior Jordan Bunting Wins Gold at the States-Level SkillsUSA Competition

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Senior Jordan Bunting, a Calvert High student in the Health Sciences program at the CTA, represented Calvert at the State Level SkillsUSA Basic Healthcare Skills competition on April 2, 2022 and won first place, advancing her to the National SkillsUSA competition in June.  

As students begin to think about their future beyond high school, many students across the country gravitate toward career and technology education programs promoted in their schools. In Calvert County Public School Career and Technology Academy, students build their technical, academic, and employability skills through hands-on work experience in areas such as firefighting, nursing, cosmetology, the culinary arts, and education.  

Toward the end of the school year, qualified students like Bunting compete with other students in similar programs around the state to place for nationals. The goal of SkillsUSA Championships is to reward students for their excellence in the program and to train them to meet their future employer’s needs.  

During the competition, Bunting had to excel in multiple skills, making the Basic Healthcare competition one of the most rigorous SkillsUSA competitions. The skills include taking a written exam, preparing a skills demonstration, and having to navigate herself through various healthcare skills stations. To prepare for her competition, Bunting took the time to stay after school to practicing the different skills, researching projects, and presenting to the class.  

Dr. Jennifer Rachic, the Health Sciences teacher at the CTA and SkillsUSA facilitator for Calvert, is proud of Jordan’s hard work and dedication to her preparation. “As her teacher, I was simply her facilitator. She did all the work,” said Dr. Rachic. “I reviewed her work and gave her suggestions on how to edit her presentation in a way that would be meaningful to the judges. I also stayed after school every Monday in March allowing Jordan time to practice in the lab. Truly, I helped her along the way, but she was in charge of her learning and her success.” 

“I was in disbelief when I found out I placed for nationals,” said Bunting. “It was a long day, and I was so nervous but excited to see the results. I was glad to have my family, teachers, and peers at the award ceremony. They were all incredibly supportive. It was a great experience overall, and I’m thankful to have met all the other competitors from similar programs around the state!” 

With nationals around the corner, Bunting plans to work just as hard to prepare for the next stage in her competition. Bunting will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia on June 20-24 for the National SkillsUSA competition.  

CHS Senior Jordan Bunting and her teacher, Dr. Rachic.