Chinle High sophomore wins state carpentry title, heads to nationals

Caleb Yazzie’s state carpentry title gave Chinle High School a clear reason to celebrate, and it also showed how far the school’s hands-on training can take a student. The sophomore from Mr. Haskie’s class won the SkillsUSA Arizona championship in carpentry and will now compete for a national title.

Chinle High School placed Yazzie’s win front and center on its homepage, alongside other career-and-technical education honors for students such as Aimee Lee and the school’s FBLA national qualifiers. That kind of public recognition matters in Apache County, where strong trade skills can open doors to apprenticeships, steady work and long-term careers without forcing young people to leave their community behind.

SkillsUSA’s state leadership and skills conference was held April 7 and 8 in Phoenix, where Yazzie earned his title. The competition is built around workforce readiness, and SkillsUSA describes its championships as a premier showcase for highly skilled CTE students. In carpentry, that means students are judged on official technical standards that cover required skills, knowledge, clothing requirements, equipment lists and other contest rules.

Those standards also include embedded academic skills in math, English and science, underscoring that trade excellence is not separate from classroom learning. For Yazzie, winning state means demonstrating that he can measure, cut, assemble and solve problems under pressure in a contest that mirrors the expectations of the job site.

The victory came after a strong local run for Chinle students. Chinle High School hosted SkillsUSA Region 8 competition on Feb. 26 in Chinle and said its students swept the event, building a pipeline from the classroom to the state stage. That progression points to a deeper investment in technical education at the school and in the Chinle Unified School District.

Chinle’s construction technology program already lists carpentry, masonry, basic wiring and construction technology, along with certifications such as NCCER Core and OSHA 10 Construction Industry. That training gives students a direct path into fields that remain in demand across Northeastern Arizona, especially in rural communities where skilled labor is often needed close to home.

SkillsUSA Arizona describes itself as a partnership of students, teachers and industry working to ensure Arizona has a skilled workforce. Yazzie’s title fits that mission closely, and it gives Apache County a local example of what workforce preparation can look like when a school treats skilled trades as a high-value path.