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News Release: Oak Harbor High School Students Take
First Place at National Make48 Competition for SkillsUSA
Oak Harbor High School Career Technical Education (CTE) students earned first place at the prestigious Make48 Innovation Challenge in Atlanta, Georgia, earlier this month and their winning performance will be featured in an upcoming national television series.
The competition, held June 9 as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC), will be showcased in two dedicated episodes airing later this year on Roku’s This Old House Maker Channel and the Make48 YouTube Channel, highlighting the team’s innovation journey on a national stage.
Competing against top CTE students from across the country, the Oak Harbor team “Smarts & Sparks" earned top marks in the high-pressure, fast-paced 48-hour innovation challenge.
Hosted at the Georgia World Congress Center, the event brought together more than 18,000 attendees and featured five elite high school teams representing programs from across the nation. Oak Harbor High School was the only team representing Washington state.
During the competition, students were tasked with solving a complex, industry-developed challenge titled “Field Ready,” presented by partners Fendt and Fastenal. Teams had just 48 hours to:
- Develop a concept and engineer a working prototype
- Source materials and collaborate with technical mentors
- Create a marketing sales sheet and produce a one-minute promotional video
- Deliver a live pitch to a panel of industry experts and a national audience
Through the coursework in their CTE classes, Oak Harbor's team was able to distinguish themselves through exceptional creativity, technical skills, and teamwork, all skills that not only earned them top marks in the competition, but will set them up for success in their future college or careers. Oak Harbor High School’s victory underscores the strength of its CTE programs and its commitment to preparing students for success beyond graduation.
As first-place winners, the team received a $2,000 cash prize, the competition’s top trophy, and an invitation to compete at the Make48 Season 10 National Competition in November 2026.
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