Hannah Plavnick and Stephanie Hammond, representing Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario outperformed all other high school competitors from Canada and the U.S. to capture first place in the 12th annual International Phoenix Challenge Flexo Skills Competition.
The winning pair claimed the first-place award among a field of 20 teams and received $1,000 scholarships each. The duo also took home the 2009 High School of the Year trophy cup to display at their Mississauga high school for the third year in a row.
Another Gordon Graydon team, made up of Abdul Murad and Grant Izukawa, won the third place ranking at this year’s competition, held in Charlotte, North Carolina in early April.
Hosted by the Phoenix Challenge Foundation (a non-profit organization made up of flexo industry professionals dedicated to developing the future workforce) the competition challenges students in a two-day skill-based competition with hands-on and written testing in operating a flexo press, prepress, plate-making, and overall flexo knowledge.
The Gordon Graydon flexography program is led by Peter Belanger and has participated in the Phoenix Challenge competition since it’s inception in 1998. The School’s program is perennially among the top performers.
“Hannah Plavnick was one of the team that won in 2008 and she had the determination to try for the second time," noted Bettylyn Krafft, Phoenix Challenge Foundation Executive Director in a post-event release.
(pictured above) The 2009 Phoenix Challenge first-place winners (l-r), Hannah Plavnick and Stephanie Hammond of Gordon Graydon, and Bettylyn Krafft, Executive Director Phoenix Challenge Foundation.
(below) The 2009 Phoenix Challenge third-place winners (l-r), Grant Izukawa and Abdul Murad, Gordon Graydon, and Bettylyn Krafft, Executive Director Phoenix Challenge Foundation.
