LEWISTON — Three electrical-training students at Lewiston Regional Technical Center, each a high school senior, recently competed to be the best in Maine at building panel boxes and outlets.

They cleaned up.

Jordan Hall, 18, of Poland High School won the gold medal.

Derek Fickett, 18, of Edward Little High School in Auburn won the silver.

Kyle Sheehan, 17, of Lisbon High School won the bronze.

LRTC students often win contests at the annual state Skills USA competition, in subjects ranging from health care to automotive, LRTC Director Rob Callahan said. But students from one program have never taken home all of the awards in one contest.

“I’m not aware of it ever happening,” Callahan said. “They really are something to crow about.”

Skills USA State Director Hal Casey, also co-director of Eastern Maine Community College, said it’s uncommon for three students from one school to compete in the same event.

“We never allow more than three to go in,” Casey said. “It’s even more unusual to see three take all three medals.”

As the top winner, Hall will represent Maine in the national competition in Missouri in June.

At the statewide contest March 15 in Bangor, 20 students from nine technical schools, including one community college, competed, Callahan said.

Each student had four hours to build and install an electrical panel, two light fixtures and five kinds of outlets.

Students had to use three kinds of wiring. “That’s a different skill set,” said their teacher, LRTC electrical instructor Greg Cushman.

For the commercial outlets, they had to use commercial-grade wiring and materials, steel or aluminum cable and tubing, some of which had to be bent or cut to length with a hacksaw.

At the end of four hours the panel, lights and outlets had to work. “The magic moment is when you flip the switch,” Callahan said. “They were the only three to finish the challenge.”

Hall said he finished with seven minutes to go. “I was nervous before, but once I got started there was no time to worry about it.”

Judging which job deserved the gold came down to workmanship, Cushman said. “All three were so close,” he said.

Waiting for the award ceremony, the three students suspected one of them might score a medal. “But we didn’t have any idea until they started calling names,” Hall said.

The judges first announced Kyle Sheehan as the bronze-medal winner.

“We said, ‘That’s great!’” Hall said. “Then they called Derek’s name. The next thing you know, they called my name. We were looking at each other and said, ‘What?!’”

At Poland Regional High School, Hall’s win was announced over the intercom. “Everybody was all over me — came up and congratulated me.”

The three agreed they couldn’t have achieved what they did without LRTC and Cushman, their instructor.

Each said they entered the two-year program because they want to work as an electrician. “I have family in the trade,” Sheehan said. “I enjoy all the different things I get to do.”

Each plans to take an electrician training course at one of Maine’s community colleges. Fickett figured he’d be a master electrician by age 24. “Sixty dollars an hour!”

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