Ms. Erin Blakely, Halls High School junior, placed 5th statewide in the SkillsUSA wall framing competition during the State Leadership and Skills Conference in Chattanooga, TN. Erin is a second year Structural Systems pathway student in the Architecture and Construction career cluster. Mr. Bruce Davis, Structural Systems instructor, emphasized that Erin earned her distinction while competing as the sole female competitor against 18 male competitors.
During her competition, Erin had to:
· interpret a set of construction drawings,
· build three walls,
· frame in a window,
· cut two sets of rafters and a hip rafter, and
· install base boards.
Erin completed all of this in a seven-hour timeframe without any assistance. She plans to return to the SkillsUSA conference next year and earn first place. Upon graduation, Erin plans to pursue a career in construction.