Shining skill

Jun. 9—MOSES LAKE — This isn't exactly the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center's first trip to the nationals.
"For 11 years straight we have placed at state competition, and eight of those years we've qualified for nationals," said Terri Pixlee, who teaches video game programming at CBTECH. "We've been all over the country. We've been to Chicago, Utah, Georgia twice, Florida (and) Maryland and this will be our second time in California."
Pixlee's students Alex Meyer, Hailey Harper and Ethan Huntley competed in April at the Future Business Leaders of America game programming competition in Bellevue, she said. One team of three students took second place and will go on to nationals in Anaheim, California. Another team of two, Neri Hernandez and Jaden Salazar, placed seventh, not high enough to be assured of a berth but enough to be alternates in case some other Washington team doesn't show. So far, that doesn't seem likely, Pixlee said.
"It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen," she said.
In addition, Felix Neutzhorn and Zander Leasher from the CBTECH Fire Sciences and Roan Prentice from the Automotive program qualified for nationals at the SkillsUSA state competitions in Spokane in March. They'll go to the national competition in Atlanta, Georgia in July.
Prentice took first place at the state competition, said instructor Lonny Steinmetz. He and teammate David Couture also won first place at the Top Tech Challenge in Yakima. CBTECH was the first school to take first at the Top Tech Challenge twice in a row, Steinmetz added.
Prentice came away from the competitions with more than just bragging rights, Steinmetz said.
"He won about $56,000 in scholarships along with some tools," he said.
For the video game competition, the students divide themselves into teams of three, usually including an artist, a programmer and a level designer, Pixlee said. At least one of those students also needs some serious presentation chops, she said.
"It's like 'Shark Tank,'" she said. "They have to present their game and sell it as if they're selling it to one of the gaming houses, so it's really kind of important they have a speaker as well."
The video game creators will be in Anaheim June 29-July 2, Pixlee said. They can't afford a side trip to Disneyland, she said, but there are other things they can occupy their off-time with.
"There's plenty of attractions they want to see," she said. "Venice Beach, they want to, you know, things like that that don't cost much. We'll find a little arcade."
The students going to Atlanta will be there June 23-27, said Fire Sciences teacher Lynn Dodd.
"It's huge for these kids," Dodd said. "The student we took last year had barely ever been out of town. It's one of their first times getting to stay in a hotel, getting to go to these fancy restaurants, and then we were taking them on their first flights across the United States. And it's like, this is cool that these kids get this opportunity to compete with the best students of the state. That we get to be a part of that is pretty awesome."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

2 days ago

• Yahoo

Jacksonville Sharks hope to avenge early season loss against Quad City Steamwheelers

The Jacksonville Sharks will face the Quad City Steamwheelers this Saturday at the arena in the Shark Tank on Star Wars Night. The 7 p.m. kickoff features two of the best teams in the Indoor Football League and could go a long way in deciding the upcoming playoff race, Advertisement Quad City is currently atop the Eastern Division at 9-2 and has one of the toughest defenses in the league, allowing just 36.9 points per game. Jacksonville isn't far behind at 7-4, while giving up 38.5 points per game and ranking fifth in points allowed. Jacksonville gets a chance to avenge an early season loss on the road when they lost to Quad City 62-41. For an in-depth preview of the Saturday's game, watch this week's edition of Shark Bites. The Saturday matchup will also air on the Action Sports Jax 24/7 Network. All home games this season air on the network, the official streaming network of the Jacksonville Sharks. >>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<< Advertisement [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.

Los Angeles Times

3 days ago

• Los Angeles Times

TikTok deal gets another extension from President Trump

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order giving TikTok a 90-day extension to work out a deal with the U.S. government that addresses security concerns over the app's ties to China. Significant pressure has been placed on TikTok, known for its popular social video app, after a law was signed in 2024 that required TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations of TikTok or the app would be banned in the U.S. The new order signed by Trump will give TikTok an extension until Sept. 17. During that period, the Justice Department will not enforce the 2024 law that would have banned TikTok in the country or impose penalties on companies that distribute TikTok, the order said. 'We are grateful for President Trump's leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available for more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses that rely on the platform as we continue to work with Vice President Vance's Office,' TikTok said in a statement. TikTok has a large presence in Southern California, with offices in Culver City that serve as the company's U.S. headquarters, many video creators in the L.A. area produce content for TikTok. The app has interested buyers, including Amazon and an investment group led by Frank McCourt, a former Dodgers owner, whose bid includes 'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary. San Francisco artificial intelligence company Perplexity said in March it wants to 'rebuild the TikTok algorithm.'

Entrepreneur

6 days ago

• Entrepreneur

I Was Rejected on Shark Tank — Now I Run a $2.5 Million Business

I didn't get a deal on Shark Tank, but that rejection forced me to build a better company. Here's how I turned that loss into $2.5 million in ARR and the lessons you can use to scale smarter. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Years ago, I walked onto the set of Shark Tank thinking I had it all figured out. I'd built an ecommerce brand and website from scratch, had revenue, traction and a mission. I left without a deal — and a bruised ego. But that moment ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me. Today, I've built four companies, including a fast-growing hiring software business that generates more than $2.5 million in annual recurring revenue. It's been used by over 5,000 small businesses across the country to find and hire better candidates, without needing a full-time recruiter. The truth? Most of my biggest breakthroughs came from the mistakes I made along the way. Here are five of the hardest, most valuable lessons I've learned — and how you can apply them to grow your business faster and smarter. Related: I Started Over 300 Companies. Here Are 4 Things I Learned About Scaling a Business. 1. Visibility is worthless without readiness — always be recruiting After Shark Tank aired, our website crashed. We had thousands of visitors, emails and online orders — but I didn't have the hiring bench or systems to capitalize on the moment. We were scrambling. I had no recruiting pipeline, no onboarding playbook and no way to scale our customer support. Now, I recruit like my life depends on it — because it does. Whether I'm actively hiring or not, I keep a running list of A-players I want to work with. We invest in structured scorecards, always-on sourcing and internal referrals. If you're waiting until you're desperate to hire, you're already too late. 2. Scaling without culture is just accelerating toward collapse At one point, I was hiring fast to keep up with demand. I brought in people with the right skills, but not the right values. What followed was tension, communication breakdowns and a toxic undercurrent I didn't notice until my best team member quit. It crushed me. The feedback was exactly what I needed: "I lost my purpose at your company." We've since built our hiring software, AvaHR, around what I now call "culture marketing." It's not just about attracting talent, it's about showcasing the values you live by and filtering out those who won't align. Protect your culture at all costs, including slowing down your growth. Say no to customers if it's going to force you to hire the wrong people. Your culture is either your greatest asset or your biggest liability. Choose early. 3. "Culture fit" is a lazy filter — define it or ditch it I used to hire people who "felt like us." They shared hobbies, personalities and work styles. It made for a friendly environment, but we became an echo chamber. Now, we look for "culture add" — people who share our core values but challenge our assumptions. We define these values with precision and assess candidates against them with structured interviews and peer reviews. If you're hiring based on gut, you're gambling. Define what you stand for and measure it. Related: 'Mad Men' Marketing Strategies Are Back and Here to Stay — Here's What You Need to Know 4. You can't delegate hiring until you master it One of my biggest early mistakes was outsourcing hiring before I had a repeatable system. I handed off interviews to managers who had no framework and no clear definition of success. We paid the price in bad hires, low morale and wasted time. I eventually built our entire process — job scorecards, interview kits and compensation frameworks — and only then did I delegate it. Today, we train every hiring manager to use the system. It's our operating manual for building high-performing teams. You can't scale what you haven't documented. Period. 5. If no one's challenging you, you've built the wrong team For years, I thought harmony meant progress. I surrounded myself with people who agreed with me, or at least didn't push back. But businesses don't grow in echo chambers. Today, I make it a point to hire people who respectfully challenge my decisions, ask hard questions and think differently. It's not always comfortable, but it's always better. If you want to build a great company, hire people who make you uncomfortable — in the right way. Your failure may be your best future asset I didn't get a deal on Shark Tank. But that rejection forced me to rethink everything: my pitch, my positioning, my process and, most importantly, my leadership. It was a gut punch — and exactly what I needed. That humbling moment didn't end my journey; it redirected it. Over time, it led to the creation of a software company that now generates millions in revenue and helps thousands of small businesses compete for top talent. So if you're in a moment that feels like failure, don't panic — document it. Reflect on it. Dig into what it's trying to teach you. Every mistake, misstep and missed opportunity is raw material for something better — if you're willing to learn from it. Your failures won't define you, but how you respond to them will. Those are the moments that shape the next version of you — the version that builds something stronger, smarter and more resilient.