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Teens compete in woodworking event

The Inter-Mountain photo by Eliana McCutcheon Student competitor Danessa Harner is assisted by the West Virginia Wood Tech Center’s John Rossdach recently as she works on her scrap wood creation.

ELKINS– Recently the West Virginia Wood Tech Center hosted the Scrap Competition between the Highland Adventist School and the Randolph Technical Center.

The student competitors were provided with wood scrap material, which was supplied by Colonial Millworks and AHF Products.

The students took part in a four-hour competition to see how well they apply their skills, creativity and knowledge of scrap wood materials.

Program Director Monica Cross, the overseer of Explore the New Manufacturing programs for middle and high school students, said the event was very beneficial for the teens.

“Today, these students are using scrap material. They are using the scrap wood for creation. We are not really sure what they are creating because they are being a little secretive,” she said. “They are using a lot of critical thinking and problem solving skills and teamwork. They have to come up with a product in four hours.”

This competition is part of the association’s pilot year. Officials said this is the first woodworking competition available for students locally.

“This is our pilot year. We launched three scrap competitions statewide” Cross said. “We had a welding competition in Morgantown in the fall and we have another one in Charleston at the end of the month. This is our only woodworking competition, so we are piloting it this year and are building on launching it on a larger scale.

“I am really impressed with how well the students are working and how quickly this team dynamic has formed as well as the progress that they are making,” she said. “It is so exciting to watch. There is so much talent and these are important skills to have that a lot of employees want. These are very valuable skills and there is a big market for them.

“We are just trying to increase awareness about the types of jobs that involve these skills and promote the talent that these students have,” Cross said.

For more information visit www.exploremfgwv.com.

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