Recent state-level accomplishments by the Cass High School SkillsUSA team are bringing the school to represent the state at the 48th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo.

According to the program's official website, www.skillsusa.org, "SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce."

"My Opening and Closing [Ceremonies] team won first-place at state, so they'll be going to Nationals in Kansas City in June to represent the state of Georgia," advisor and teacher Pat Sparks said.

According to SkillsUSA, the purpose of the Opening and Closing Ceremony is, "To evaluate the contestants' understanding of the symbolic representation of the colors and assembled parts of the SkillsUSA emblem and to evaluate teamwork and professional presentation skills."

Sophomore and state officer Lucy Hornback said, "Opening and Closing [Ceremonies] is a parliamentary procedure we go through before and after a business meeting. "We had 14 teams competing and we won."

Students must properly execute the procedures to open and close a business meeting as part of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies competition.

Sophomore Ashley Lipinski explained this summer's competition.

"We'll go through a series of rounds and if we make it through the first elimination -- they cut off 30 teams for 30 states -- and if you make it past the first cut, you continue on competing to the top five and then they determine if you win or not," Lipinski said.

All team members agreed with senior Samantha Norwood stating she loves the aspect of competing and seeing how she and the other members of the team have grown through competition. "We're a family and we just love competing," Norwood said.