Congratulating the Winners of the 2026 14th Annual Prostart® High School Competition and Wishing Them Success at the National Prostart® Invitational

WHEREAS, ProStart® is “a two-year hospitality career-building program designed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation” with an enrollment of nearly 8 Rhode Island students and an additional 400 students enrolled in the Hospitality & Tourism Management program, designed by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute’s

(AHLEI) which is also a two-year, turnkey high school curriculum; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Hospitality Education Foundation (RIHEF) hosted the 2026 th Annual Rhode Island High School Culinary Arts, Foodservice & Hotel Management Competition in February, with ten local teams competing for scholarships and prizes, and the opportunity to represent Rhode Island in the 20 National ProStart® Invitational in Baltimore, Maryland from April th - th, 2026; and

WHEREAS, The annual event features three competitive categories: Culinary Arts, Foodservice Management, and Hospitality Tourism Management, with more than thirty local hospitality industry professionals serving as judges; and

WHEREAS, The top competitors represented Chariho Career and Technical Center (CHARIHOTech), Newport Area Career and Technical Center, Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School and Woonsocket Area Career and Technical Center; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s First Place Culinary Arts Team, hailed from the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center includes Instructor Eva Niosi, and winning students Anthony Morales, Richard Desmarais, Tyler Hartley and Liam McGloin; and

WHEREAS, The First Place Foodservice Management Team also hailed from the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, includes Instructor Austin Irons and winning students Jailyn Huffman, Giana Gioffreda, Alexiana Medeiros, Anissa Gill, and Liliana Lunsmann; and

WHEREAS, The First Place Hospitality & Tourism Management Team, hailed from the Chariho Career and Technical Center, includes instructor Donald Fair and winning students Rosie Sposato, Logan Berdos, Maddie Niewiecki, and Lilyana Juneau; and

WHEREAS, The winning Culinary Arts and Foodservice Management Teams will now advance to compete at the 20 National ProStart® Invitational on April th - th, 2026, where they will represent not only their respective schools, but also the State of Rhode Island; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby extends enthusiastic congratulations to the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, the Chariho Career and Technical Center, their instructors, and their students on winning the 20 Rhode Island ProStart® High School Competition, and wishes them the very best of luck at the National ProStart® Invitational in Baltimore, MD; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Warwick Area Career and Technical Center and the Chariho Career and Technical Center.