Lynchburg Students Shine at State SkillsUSA Competition

Dual-enrolled students earn gold, silver, and bronze medals; crime scene team heads to Atlanta

Lynchburg, VA — Students from Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) earned top honors at the recent SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference, demonstrating excellence across multiple career and technical education disciplines. These students, who are also dual enrolled with Central Virginia Community College (CVCC), received medals in highly competitive events, with one team advancing to the national competition this June.

The Crime Scene Investigation team including Sawyer Ness, Kendal Patterson, and Tyler Turnbow, earned gold, outperforming 13 teams from across Virginia. Their strong performance, which included identifying and collecting all four pieces of evidence at the scene, secured their place at the national competition in Atlanta.

Additional student achievements include:

• Silver Medal – Job Demonstration Open
  Ozarriah Felix placed second out of nine competitors with a presentation on presumptive narcotics field test kits.
• Bronze Medal – Criminal Justice
  Janiah Williamson earned third place out of 13 competitors, demonstrating skills in forensic processing and law enforcement procedures.
• Bronze Medal – CPR/First Aid
  Izzy Mullen placed third out of six competitors, showcasing strong emergency response skills.
• 4th Place – Job Demonstration A (97.13% Score)
  DJ Tolbert delivered a high-scoring presentation on shoe print impressions and evidence collection techniques.

These accomplishments reflect the strength of Lynchburg City Schools’ career and technical education programs and the impact of dedicated instruction. Students were led by Kelly Glenn, whose commitment to student success and hands-on learning experiences played a key role in their performance. Glenn also serves as an adjunct instructor for CVCC, further strengthening the partnership between the two institutions.

 "Watching these students grow in confidence and skill has been the most rewarding part of this experience,” said Glenn. “They rose to the challenge, supported one another, and truly earned this recognition. I couldn’t be more excited to see them take the next step at nationals."

 Through dual enrollment opportunities with CVCC, LCS students gain access to college-level coursework while building practical, career-ready skills that prepare them for future success.

The SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, this June, where these students will compete against top students from across the country.

To learn more about CVCC’s dual enrollment program, visit website centralvirginia.edu/dual-enrollment.