Westfield Technical Academy team on the way to the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta. From left, Brady LePage, Timothy Elliott, Nolan Lukaik, Maureen Baillargeon and Angel Arenas-Nieves.
Reminder Publishing submitted photos
WESTFIELD — Westfield Technical Academy Principal Bruce Hastings and Assistant Principal Kevin Dailey could not contain their excitement after internet technology graduate Brady LePage brought back a second-in-a-row gold medal win for Internet of Things: Smart Home technology from the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference competition in Atlanta, Georgia, June 23-27.
“It’s not often that we get to boast about being the absolute best in something. What if you get to do it twice?” WTA administrators posted on Facebook after the LePage’s win.
“We would love to introduce your TWO TIME CHAMPION and REPEAT NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS CONFERENCE WINNER — BRADY LEPAGE! Brady flew into the NLSC with a big task — doing it all over again. First gold medal winner for WTA and he went right back to say it was no fluke,” the post read.
The internet of things competition tests each competitor’s preparation and professionalism in the field of home technology integration. Competitors demonstrate their abilities in the installation of “smart home” residential products including bulbs; thermostats; locks; alarms; sensors, cameras, speakers, home theater systems, computer networking, and video security systems. The competition also requires a demonstration of all hardware and software setup, completed in an easy to understand manner fit for the typical customer
Also qualifying for nationals with a gold medal win at states was Nolan Lukasik for diesel equipment technology, which tested 50 competitors from around the country on stations testing, troubleshooting engines, electrical and electronics systems and powertrain systems including chassis, transmissions, and carriers.
Lukasik, who graduated in June alongside LePage, will be continuing in the field, working full-time for Advantage Truck Group after working at ATG’s Westfield facility through the school’s cooperative education program this past year.
Maureen Baillargeon, SkillsUSA chapter advisor and allied health department head accompanied LePage and Lukasik to the competition along with automotive instructor Thomas Elliott, and allied health instructor Angel Arenas-Nieves, who will be taking over as chapter advisor next year. For Baillargeon, whose last official day before retirement was on June 30, it was a triumphant coda to her career at WTA.
“Everyone is so proud of Brady — he really is brilliant,” Baillargeon said, emphasizing that his success was “all him.” She said he finished before everyone else the first day of competition after installing all the wires and connections, and then stayed to check his work. As a part of the competition, judges “mess with it,” she said, admitting she knows nothing about the technology. In this case, she said the router had a big problem which LePage had to fix. The next day, he finished three hours before everyone else.
Baillargeon said nonetheless LePage still had doubts about how well he did.
“I definitely didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself — looking at the other people and the work they were doing, I was thinking about the fact that there were so many other skilled people around me,” LePage said after the competition. “I didn’t want to jinx it — I just wanted to see what happens.”
The competition called up the three states with the top three finishers for each category, and then announced the order of gold, silver and bronze on stage. LePage said he was informed pre-call. “The top three come to the stage — once you’re on stage, they’ll tell what places you won. The arena is huge, and they want to make sure you’re there, that your jacket looks presentable, and they tell you where to stand,” he said.
“It was great — I enjoyed it. It was nice to have the opportunity to go again and experience all that SkillsUSA National has to offer,” LePage added. For his gold medal win, he was awarded a smart home technology kit similar to the one he was awarded for last year’s win at nationals, which he described as a bunch of different smart home products, networking equipment and tools to do Internet of Things jobs. “I used some of the tools I won last year in this year’s competition. They were better than the tools I was borrowing,” he said.
“He was very happy,” Baillargeon said, adding, “His family was ecstatic. His dad was there for half the week, but everyone was watching the livestream on TV,” she said. Brady’s father Bob LePage is assistant secretary for Career Education in the state Executive Office of Education.
Baillargeon said Lukasik also enjoyed the trip, although she hadn’t yet heard where he placed in competition with the other 50 top diesel equipment technology students. “He had a great experience down there. He came back with t-shirts and hats, and also got a chance to go to the Porsche Museum. He really enjoyed that.”
After LePage’s repeat win, internet technology instructor Kevin Grimsley was beside himself. “I am just so proud of the work he’s done. He’s absolutely one of the brightest moments of my career as a teacher and further, he’s brought such an inspired look at technology into our classroom that reminds me of when I was in the IT program back in the early 2000s,” he said.
Elaborating on the WTA post, Grimsley added, “Being unequivocally the best in our trade or having a skillset that sets you completely above the competition requires the highest levels of dedication and precision in our craft. It requires knowing industry standards and being able to adjust your practices year after year. Brady is no stranger to this, as he brought to me countless news updates and resources on the internet of things and smart home devices every day.”
Grimsley said LePage has also been a constant achiever in the school’s cybersecurity competitions through the AFA’s CyberPatriot events, placing near the top of the state and national leaderboards on multiple occasions. He said LePage has helped the IT program evolve with his interest in the betterment of technology practices, and he’s helped recruit new students with his love for technology and competitive spirit to always learn new things and put those new things into practice.
“I have no doubt that Brady, who will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall, is going to be a leader in the tech industry for many years to come. I will be watching with eager anticipation,” Grimsley said.
LePage said he will not be continuing on to college level competition next year, because WPI does not have a SkillsUSA chapter. However, after this second win at nationals, he told the judges he would like to participate as a judge or in set up next year, and he was invited back. “I think it would be a really cool experience,” he said.
LePage will also continue over the summer helping to set up the city’s new FM radio station in his job as a technician for Westfield Community Television, where he may be seen videotaping meetings and special events, such as the recent Westfield fireworks. “I’ll be with the city through the summer, and if I can come back next summer, if I don’t have an internship at college and if the city gives me the opportunity … I’m more than willing to come back,” he said, especially for the graduations.
“I will have a lot of friends graduating. Hopefully, we don’t have rain,” LePage said.
