Masonry Students Showcase Skills in Competition

Junior and senior students in the Masonry Trades program participated in the Ohio-Kentucky Administrative District Council of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers 11^th Annual Holiday Masonry Skills Competition on Thursday, December 5^th. 

The competition was held at the Northern Ohio Regional Training Center in Amherst, Ohio. Twenty-eight competitors, 15 juniors and 13 seniors, from eight school districts competed.

JVS junior student, Caleb Roberts from North Ridgeville, was nervous before the event. “As we were driving to the competition, I could feel my heart rate going up. I just didn’t want to do badly,” said Roberts.

Roberts did a great job, placing 5^th out of 15 and his classmate, Sean Murphy from Midview placing 6^th.

Each student was given a blueprint that showed a brick and block project that had to be built in three hours. Bricklayers and advisory members were on hand to judge the projects based on correct design, level, plumb, square, tooling neatness and workmanship.

“When we arrived we all received a shirt, number to wear and the blueprint,” shared Roberts. “We worked with block and brick, having to make an ‘X’ pattern with the bricks. The time went fast for me, and I felt I could have used more time because I couldn’t get my top layer level.”

Even though the time frame took him for a loop, Roberts said that his lab prepared him well for the competition. “We were able to practice these skills in lab before the competition, and that helped a lot. I’m not that great with block yet, and when I started practicing it took me days to lay the block, but I was able to do it quickly in the competition.”

Roberts has been a student at the JVS since 9^th grade, and being able to shadow the masonry program his sophomore year, made it clear that this is the career path for him. “I hope to be a part of the union when I graduate next year.”

Seniors Omaly Velazquez (Clearview) and Jason Mack Jr. (Elyria) placed 7^th and 9^th out of the thirteen seniors that competed.

The JVS Masonry Trades seniors who weren’t competing at the event, were on hand to serve as laborers. They helped mix and replenish mortar for each competitor. This also served as a great way for these students to see other students’ skills and assist as they would on a job site.