Competitiors showed their skills at the Top Trowel competition

Words: Lyn OlesonCongratulations to Top Trowel competitors, Jane Frederick High School masonry students in Stockton Unified School District CTE. They showed their skills at the Top Trowel competition at the Fastest Trowel hosted by Baselite Concrete Products in Dixon.

The apprentices start in the dark of the dawn, to build a block wall, 5 course high, within time allowed, to complete their project before judging begins. All MITA students received prizes and tools. Winners got all that and were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals and prize money.

Top Trowel winners were 1st place Shawn Phang, 2nd place Francisco Dominguez, 3rd place Steven Juarez.

Meanwhile a few yards away, the NorCal Masonry Skills Challenge regional qualifier for apprentices was won by 1st year Apprentice was Anthony Guerrero — a former Jane Frederick High School student trainee, who graduated, joined local BAC3, and is now employed at John D Wait Masonry.

MITA Board of Directors Dale Piwinski, an industry leader and Baselite Concrete Products Sales Manager, along with his Baselite associates put on an amazing event. Hear it first hand from Instructor Tom Miller, who trains students towards jobs.

MITA assists hundreds of students to learn masonry skills each school year from September to June. MITA trainees have accomplished pre-apprenticeship and are seeking work, summer jobs, part-time, and full-time. Classes begin with how to pick up a trowel and get them started. From there, they move on to seek a future career in the masonry field as bricklayers, tenders, mason finishers, and in the whole realm of opportunity such as block salesperson, architect representative, and positions with suppliers and contractors.

See the video at www.trainmason.org.
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