Many Galway students over the years have competed in SkillsUSA through their VOTEC program. Galway Junior, Samantha Munchbach, worked the security detail this year. 

Wednesday, April 26th was a traveling day for my class. I had to go early to help my teacher pack the 2-way radios and all of the packets. We went to Dunkin Donuts on the way there and when we got to Syracuse, Megan and I had to help the teachers make the name tags and put the emergency paper in the middle of the contestants’ names and numbers.

After we did this for 2 hours we went to lunch and came back and grouped the contestants by room numbers. When everyone else arrived, we went to dinner and then had to go to the building where the opening ceremony was taking place.

During the opening ceremony I had to work security telling people where they had to sit, and when it got calm I had to go to the building I would be working at the next day. When I came back I got to meet the team I would be working with, including my other alphas and the officers I would be in charge of. My team was great and I loved them all.

After we met them we had to give a quick debriefing about what was going to happen the next day and we had to read the packet out loud together and get each others numbers.  Thursday I had to wake up at 4am to get to breakfast at 5 and after breakfast we went straight to the site and began our day. Our day included telling people they were not allowed in the contestant site yet, telling people where different buildings were located and monitoring my officers. Because I was an alpha I was in charge of the officers, including telling them when they could take their breaks, when they could go on lunch and if they wanted water or not.

The day was really easy except for when I had to help a man who was having a seizure during his competition. I had to help clear everyone away and call the EMTs and I was in charge of the scene until they got there. After that I had to walk around to make sure my officers were okay.  Then another kid got sawdust in his eye and I had to call EMS again and he ended up having to go to the hospital because he cut his cornea.

After all this I had to go to the dance where I had to eat really quick and then work the 2nd half of the dance, where I stood by the doors making sure everyone had their ID’s. The last day was the closing ceremony where I had to monitor my officers who were holding the signs where the different classes had to sit. After that I had to go to the side of the stage where the stairs were to make sure nobody fell down. A lot of people tripped coming up when accepting their awards, but nobody fell. After the closing ceremony we got on the bus and rode for an hour and then stopped for lunch.