HDSB Students Win National Recognition at Skills Canada National Competition
Students from the Halton District School Board (HDSB) earned top honours at the 2025 Skills Canada National Competition, showcasing their exceptional abilities across a wide range of skilled trades and technology disciplines. Competing against hundreds of students from across the country, HDSB students demonstrated their technical expertise and brought home five medals representing Team Ontario.
This year’s HDSB medalists are:
Gold: Sabina Armstrong, Grade 12 student at Nelson High School, for Auto Painting
“Going to the National Skills Competition in Saskatchewan and representing Team Ontario in automotive refinishing was an amazing experience,” Sabina says. “Everyone on the team had this great sense of pride and responsibility to show what we've worked so hard for while representing everyone that supported us back home. Being there to showcase the skills that I had worked so hard to develop was both exciting and nerve-wracking, if I'm being honest. Knowing that I was there competing with so many other talented individuals from across Canada made it just that more special. I definitely didn't go in expecting to win, but I did go in expecting to learn a lot and meet so many awesome new people. I would say that dream certainly came true. Standing on that podium after two hard days of competition and receiving my gold medal is a moment that I will cherish forever, and it reflects all of the incredible opportunities and support provided by my mentors and family.”
Gold: Neel Shah, Grade 10 student at Abbey Park High School, for IT Network Systems Administration
"I honestly couldn't really believe that I was representing the entire province for anything,” says Neel. “When I started my journey to Skills Canada, I didn't even expect to make it past regionals, and nationals seemed like a pipe dream. I still practiced extensively because I wanted to know that no matter where I ended up on the ranking, I had given it everything I had. I guess it worked, because there I was, standing on that podium holding the Ontario flag and the gold medal. I hadn't expected to place so well because the contest was definitely a challenge: I even had to learn a new concept with no internet during the contest. I know it sounds cliché but really everything seemed like a blur while I tried to process how my hard work had come together at the highest level."
Gold: Adam Scruby, Grade 11 student at Aldershot School, for Mechanical CAD
Silver: Bella Zhao and Tegan Tao, Grade 11 students at Garth Webb Secondary School, for 2D Character Animation
Bronze: Jacob Bondarenko, Grade 12 student at Nelson High School, for Auto Collision Repair
