Several students from Hampton High School recently competed in national competitions with one bringing home a second place finish.

In June, a total of 10 Hampton students went to national competitions — nine to the SkillsUSA Nationals in Louisville, Ky., and one to the Technology Student Association (TSA) Nationals in Orlando, Fla.

Ian Kelly, who graduated from Hampton in May, placed second in the Skills USA National Competition for Architectural Drafting.

“That is a pretty big accomplishment,” said Daniel Arnett, who teaches drafting at Hampton. “There were 45 other states represented. You had to be number one in your state to compete.”

Kelly earned his spot in the national event after capturing first place in the State SkillsUSA Competition.

HHS student Harley Hill, who will be a senior this upcoming school year, captured 10th place in the nation in the Dental Assisting event. She took first place in that event at the State Competition.

The team of 2017 graduate Philip Arrington and rising junior Zack Oliver garnered a 14th place finish in the SkillsUSA National Competition for Additive Manufacturing. The pair captured first place in the State Competition for their custom design of a 3D Printed Jeep.

The HHS Quiz Bowl Team of Austin Boling, Allie Arrington, Darryl Hitechew, D.J. Oliver,and Dakota Pierce — all members of the Class of 2017 — took 24th place in the SkillsUSA National Competition.

The State Competition in April marked the first time Hampton had a team competing in the Quiz Bowl, and the team made an impressive debut by capturing first place at the state event.

For the Quiz Bowl, moderators ask the teams questions on current events that have made the news in the past 90 days, SkillsUSA and its programs, and questions from the category “General Knowledge” which covers the basic school subjects such as math and science.

Also in June, student Ryan Kelly, twin brother of Ian, competed at the TSA Nationals in Technical Drafting. Arnett said he was not sure of Ryan Kelly’s exact placement at that event.

Arnett said he was proud of his students and their accomplishments at the national events.

“This is our fifth year in a row being in the national competition,” Arnett said. “They were a fantastic group of individuals who worked hard throughout the year. They expected high results, and they got high results.”

Six of the HHS students competing at SkillsUSA also received Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation scholarships, which is a partnership with the SkillsUSA organization.

The scholarship is to provide support for SkillsUSA state contest winners who have insufficient personal, chapter, school or community resources to participate at the 2017 National SkillsUSA Championships. The WORKS Foundation awarded several scholarships based on need to help offset the costs of travel and to participate in the National SkillsUSA Championships. The award is based on a student-written, one-page narrative describing the student’s financial need for the scholarship including the lack of school or community resources.

Students from Hampton receiving Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation scholarships were Austin Boling, Allie Arrington, Darryl Hitechew, Harley Hill, Zack Oliver and D.J. Oliver. Students Philip Arrington and Ian Kelly won WORKS Foundation scholarships last year which made them ineligible to receive them this year, Arnett said.

“In the High School Division we had the second most scholarship recipients in the nation,” Arnett said.

According to Arnett, the students also received help in preparing for their competitions from several faculty members at Hampton High School, including Automotive teacher Bruce Wiltshire and Marketing teacher Patrick Kelly.

Attending the national competitions can be expensive, and Arnett said several local businesses and individuals helped make the two trips possible.

“If we hadn’t had generous people from the community sponsor us it would have been difficult for us to go,” Arnett said.

The sponsors for the HHS students competition trips include: Beeson, Lusk, and Street: Snap-on; Bristol Metals; Pinecrest Vet Clinic; Volunteer Building Systems; Summers-Taylor Inc; WLM LLC; Northeast Community Credit Union; First Bank and Trust; Mrs. Laura Norris; Joshua A. Hardin – Attorney at Law; Acorn Electrical Specialists; Jewelers Bench; Happy Valley Credit Union; Doe River Auto Sales; Janet S. Rouse; Big John’s Closeouts; Brumit Sports Shop; East TN Vocational operating committee; Anon; and AGC Tri-Cities Branch.