The PIAG Educational Foundation has partnered with the Georgia Department of Education and SkillsUSA Georgia (www.skillsusageorgia.org) to develop and administer the SkillUSA Georgia Graphic Communications and Advertising Design Statewide Championships. For more information on this partnership, contact Sue Rodman suer@piag.org.

What is SkillsUSA?
SkillsUSA (www.skillsusa.org) is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. The organization serves more than 280,000 students and instructors annually and has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA.

SkillsUSA National Competition
The winner and their advisor in the Graphic Communications and Advertising Design competitions will receive funding to attend the SkillsUSA National Competition in Kansas City, KS courtesy of PIAG.

SkillsUSA 2008 Winners
On April 25, 2008, PIAG sponsored the SkillsUSA Georgia statewide championship for graphic communications as advertising design at the Print Media Demonstration Center at Heidelberg USA in Kennesaw, Ga. (for a complete press release, click here)


Winners in the graphic communications competition: first place: Alyssa Ailion, a senior at Walton High School in Marietta, Ga.; second place: Victoria Gunnin, a senior at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga.; and third place: Bryan Shipes, a junior at Appling County High School in Baxley, Ga.

Winners in the advertising design competition: first place: Kyle Colburn, a senior at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga.; second place: Yea Jee Bae, a freshman at Dalton High School; and third place: Quinn Hicks, a senior at North Clayton High School in College Park, Ga.