For the second year in a row, Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Maryland, has demonstrated its aptitude and commitment to skilled trades by taking part in SkillsUSA. Jayden Williams and Kedus Anteneh, two outstanding 10th graders, went to Atlanta, Georgia, this year to compete in the SkillsUSA National Interactive Application and Video Game Development Competition. They won Gold and took first place.
Every year, local, regional, and national competitions are held by SkillsUSA, a nationwide organization devoted to advancing professions in the skilled trades. Seneca Valley High School participated in the competition for the second time this year. As long as they are enrolled in a Career and Technology Education (CTE) course, students from all around the country can participate. This year, the only Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to participate were Seneca Valley and Edison High School. Schools from every state and U.S. territory participate in the competition.
Although there isn’t a formal organization for pupils who want to participate, teachers in the Seneca Valley offer support and direction. The students’ success was largely due to their own drive as well as the support and criticism they received from Mr. Andrew Wilson, the teacher of video game design.
In addition to official documentation of the creative process, the competition asked contestants to develop a video game, trailer, and game introduction. The game, called The Next Update, is a 1v1 local multiplayer game that uses characters from other games the team has made. The game uses GD script for programming and was created with the Godot gaming engine. In November 2024, the team started working on the project, and in February, they participated in the SkillsUSA Maryland state competition. They went above and beyond by taking first place in Maryland, guaranteeing their berth in the national tournament in Atlanta, despite their initial anxiety and hopes of finishing in third place.
A week of activities and information sessions were held at the Georgia World Congress Center as part of the competition in Atlanta. The team was informed that they had placed in the top 10 nationally at the closing ceremony on June 27th, following a demanding schedule of practice and competition.
Although SkillsUSA only allows two students to compete, the complete team consisted of six students. Kevin Gonzalez wrote the soundtrack, Matthew Perez created concept art for the characters and maps, and Leah Brown and Lynn Geese worked on the animation. The Next Update’s marketing, programming, and technical and creative design were handled by Jayden Williams and Kedus Anteneh.
As part of Seneca Valley High School’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, Jacob Carreras, a 10th grader, won first place in Maryland in the customer service competition in addition to the video game competition.Adrian Charley, assistant principal and CTE coordinator for Seneca Valley, provided the information.
At tonight’s SkillsUSA Nationals in Atlanta, the Seneca video game design team placed in the top 10 nationwide and earned GOLD in Maryland!@Thomas Taylor EdD@MdPublicSchools@[email protected]/lmnHSuwrZ3 @MCPS@MCPSBlueprint@MDBlueprintAIB
June 28, 2025 @SenecaVHSCTE (@senecavhsCTE)
