Junior and senior students in the Lorain County JVS Masonry Trades program participated in the Ohio-Kentucky Administrative District Council of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers 13th Annual Holiday Masonry Skills Competition on Thursday, December 1st.?
Noah Bates, a junior from Brookside, placed second in the junior competition and shared his thoughts on the event. “It was stressful working in front of people. I’ve never done that before, but I’m proud of the work that I did.”
The competition was held at the Northern Ohio Regional Training Center in Amherst, Ohio. Twenty competitors, ten juniors and ten seniors, from five school districts, competed.
David Rudisill, Lorain County JVS Masonry Trades instructor, shared why taking his students to competitions like this one is important to his career tech program. “Student competitions provide valuable opportunities for our students to apply their masonry skills and showcase what they have learned in their class at LCJVS. Each year the competition has different projects to build which requires the students to read and interpret a masonry plan, layout the project, and properly construct the design using accurate measurements.”
At first, Bates wasn’t sure he was going to place in the competition, but then he heard his name called and was excited. “My first thought was wow, I did it! I couldn’t stop smiling.”
According to Rudisill, this competition also provides the students the opportunity to network with their peers from other career centers across the state. “It is a great experience that helps build their confidence and prepares them for the next level of competition.”
Also competing at this year’s event were senior Dillan Casner from Brookside who placed fourth out of ten seniors and Emily Miller, junior from Firelands, who placed fourth in the junior competition.
The Lorain County JVS Masonry Trades juniors 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.