Whatcom County students win construction contest

KIRA MILLAGE - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Though they come from different schools and don't know each other well, five Construction Careers Academy students showed the state that they can out-teamwork any other group.

The Whatcom County students recently won the first-ever Washington regional Construction Challenge, earning a free trip to the international competition in Tennessee this spring.

"We weren't expected to win," said Ted Goeres, teacher of the Construction Careers Academy class, one of three countywide high school programs offered through the Whatcom Tech Prep Consortium. "We were kind of the underdogs."

ABOUT CONSTRUCTION CAREERS ACADEMY
Apply: Applications are being accepted for the Construction Careers Academy program for the 2009-10 school year. Students can pick up information from their high school career center or go to www.whatcomtechprep.org, click on the "students" tab and then the "community classroom" link.
Info meeting: Parents and students interested in learning more about the Construction Careers Academy program are invited to an information meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at Meridian High School.

The competition, created by the Destination Imagination and Association of Equipment Managers organizations, requires teams to test their skills and teamwork in three challenges related to the construction and manufacturing fields.

And not only did the local "Bob the Builder" team - Sehome High junior Trevor Mauro, Meridian High senior Marshall McBride, Lynden High senior Troy Buist and Mount Baker High seniors Chris Whitson and Bill Managan - win the competition, they were the only team out of 13 to place in all three challenges.

"Before the competition, I said, 'We're not walking in with high expectations. We just want to have a fun day,'" said Mauro, who was also dubbed "team mom" by his classmates. "Even until they called our name, I thought we were just having a fun day."

The top three teams from each of the 16 regional rallies held around the U.S. and Canada are advancing to the next round. The top team from each site will also be sponsored by one of the companies in the Association of Equipment Managers, meaning room and board is covered for the five-day competition.

The Whatcom County team is also getting free airfare, thanks to donations from Andgar Corp., Associated General Contractors/NW Region, Building Industry Association, Construction Industry Training Council, Granite NW and IMCO General Construction.

The team earned third place for the "Infrastructure Presentation" challenge and second place for the "Service Tech Simulation," but their favorite competition was the "Manufacturing Design" challenge.

For that challenge, which earned them a first-place plaque, they built a "glorified pooper scooper" out of a spatula, electrical box and other random parts. Using their creations, teams had to move golf balls and wooden blocks through an obstacle course.

"They made me proud," Goeres said. "They performed really well."