McIntosh High School graphic arts students returned from the State Skills USA/VICA competition recently with seven medals.

They placed in every contest entered, including taking first in both of the contests specifically for graphic arts students.

Skills USA/VICA is an organization for students in trade and industrial course and other career-technical programs. VICA stands for Vocational Industrial Clubs of America.

Laurie Christie placed first in the graphic communications contest, in which she had to crate a desktop publishing project, assemble negatives for plate making and operate an offset press. Cristie, a four-year graphics student, will attend Auburn University in the fall.

Shannon Olsen placed first in advertising design, a contest requiring her to create a design on paper and also to create a complex desktop publishing project. Olsen has been a graphics student for four years and an annual staff member for two. This year she served as coeditor of the school yearbook. She will attend Georgia State University this fall.

In the promotional bulletin board contest, the team of Colleen Curasi, Chris Dunn and Adam Jessen placed first. The students built a bulletin board based on a VICA theme and Curasi presented it to the judges with a prepared speech.

The students worked in class to design and produced the board. Curasi also has been a four-year student in graphics and will attend Georgia State in the fall. Dunn and jessen, both juniors, are second-year graphics students.

Junior Melvin Bruce placed second in the action skills contest. Bruce, a second-year graphics student, demonstrated to the judges steps in the production of a t-shirt. To explain the steps, he produced a print in class that incorporated two colors that needed to line up perfectly on press.

Skills USA/VICA conducted two pin design contests to design pins for the state organization. Placing second in the Georgia state pin design and third in the statesman award pin design was first year student Michael Amosu, a sophomore. Placing third in the state pin design contest was second year student Andrew Anderson.

MHS graphic arts students have consistently excelled in state competition, earning 29 medals over the past 10 years. First place state winners are eligible to advance to nationals. This summer, Olsen, Curasi and Dunn will be among 7,000 students and advisors to convene in Kansas City, Mo., for the national conference.

The MHS graphic arts program is nationally PrintEd accredited by the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation. It offers MHS students a chance to develop skills of the printing industry in areas that include desktop publishing, offset printing, screen printing and photography.

Students can take the class at McIntosh for either academic or career/technical credit and can enroll for as many years as they can schedule the class.

Margo Booth is the instructor.