Four Mundelein High School students placed as state champions this spring in the Microsoft Office Specialist Exam from Certiport, a provider of performance-based IT certification exams.

Michael Berman placed second, Isaiah Alaban placed seventh, Cody Sliozis placed ninth and Zachary Nicklas placed tenth in the state. The exam is an industry-recognized certification program that validates skills in Microsoft Office applications. Winners are ranked on a state level by their score on the test and the time in which the test was completed.

Students in the MHS Computer Applications class learn career-ready skills by learning MS Office, the leading work productivity software used by most businesses and colleges. Their success puts them ahead of many of their peers.

“Most students don’t have experience with these powerful programs and learn them when they get a job,” said MHS Computer Applications Teacher Chris Hoster. “They can list their certifications on their resume which can give them an edge when applying.”

A total of 44 students earned certifications in one or more software programs of MS Office this past year. MHS offers the Computer Applications class at all grade levels.