NEW TAZEWELL — Late Saturday evening, after a 15-hour bus ride from Kansas City, Mo., the Claiborne High School (CHS) SkillsUSA team came home national champions.

The team left early last week to make the trip to Kansas City for the SkillsUSA National Championship after earning the right to compete by winning first place at the state competition.

“I am very proud of the competitive spirit of the students, not only at a state level, but at a national level as well,” said CHS Principal Dan Redmond.

Eight students made the trip with seven competing in various categories and one student, Amber Artman, singing the National Anthem at the competition. Artman gave a recap of her performance upon arrival back at CHS Saturday night after a 15-hour bus ride.

Natasha Keller and her model Erin Gilbert competed in the Action Skills Cosmetology Demonstration and took home the gold medal making the team national champions.

Alecia Surber and her model Beth Arrigo competed in the Action Skills Esthetics Demonstration and came in eighth place.

Lindsey Cupp competed in the Extemporaneous Speaking competition and placed tenth and Jeremy Longworth with the assistance of Brandon Bolden placed fourth in the Masonry competition.

Several instructors accompanied the students on their trip and spent many hours helping them prepare for the competition. John Hatfield was the instructor in charge of Masonry, Shelia Honeycutt was the instructor for Cosmetology, and the Extemporaneous Speaking coach and advisor was Scott Payne. Other instructors included Sandy Bundren as vocal advisor and Jim Welch who was a student advisor and was in charge of transportation.

SkillsUSA is a national organization that serves trade and industrial, technical and health occupations students in public high schools, career and technical centers, and two-year colleges. The SkillsUSA championships have over 5,000 students competing in 91 occupational and leadership skills areas.

Photo: The Claiborne High School SkillsUSA team came home national champions this past Saturday after winning in the SkillsUSA National Championship in Kansas City, Mo., and they received a warm welcome from not only their parents but from members of the Claiborne County Board of Education and the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department as well.(ANDREA SCHNEIDER/Claiborne Progress)