Ivan Gates has a lot of skill when it comes to plumbing, and it served him well February 2 as Ivan earned first place honors in the 2018 SkillsUSA Area II Regional Conference at Morrisville State College. The Susquehanna Valley High School junior topped all competitors in the Building Trades Program/Plumbing contest on the Morrisville campus.
Ivan was one of nearly 900 regional high school students from technical schools and BOCES programs participating in the annual contest, which tests the abilities of young people in job fields including computers, communications, construction, culinary arts, health, mechanics, security and law. In winning first place in the regionals, Ivan earned a trip to the statewide SkillsUSA competition at the New York State Fairgrounds April 25-27. First place winners there advance to the nationals in Louisville, Kentucky in June.