Oconto Falls High School students Jake Lubenske placed sixth and Kyle Sharboneau 26th at the 50th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference held from June 23-27 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Both boys will be seniors at OFHS in the fall.
With the sixth-place finish in the sheet metal competition, Lubenske greatly improved his 2012 showing when he placed 16th in the nation as a freshman.
To advance to the national contest, Lubenske won gold medals at the state SkillsUSA competition, which is designed for career and technical education students.
Sharboneau, competing in masonry, won silver at the state contest. At nationals, he completed his project in the time allotted and finished 26th of 32 competitors.
For the national contest, Lubenske formed a square from sheet metal, then transitioned to a round piece and added a round collar. He said he struggled at first to decipher the blueprint he received on the morning of the competition, because it was presented in words and not in diagrams, like he was accustomed to having.
“I didn’t really understand in the beginning, but then it clicked,” he said.
He had eight hours to complete his project, including a half-hour lunch period.
“I worked down to the last minute,” he said.
He said the project was more difficult this year than in 2012, and not all 22 competitors were up to the challenge.
“Some didn’t even try, they just left right away,” he said.
Lubenske practiced for nationals by bending and transitioning sheet metal in different ways.
“I went over all kinds of possibilities they could do … not just look at the easy stuff,” he said.
A highlight of the conference was an appearance by Mike Rowe, host of “Dirty Jobs.”
Lubenske said he plans to compete in SkillsUSA his senior year, maybe in something other than sheet metal.
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