Harlem students build house in competition

Three Harlem High School construction students recently competed in an Atlanta-based contest to test their skills.

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The students took on the top 10 teams in the state SkillsUSA Team Works competition held April 17 at the Georgia International Convention Center as part of the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia Career Expo.

Brent Ussery, Matt Whelan and John Saxon, all seniors, comprised Harlem High's team.

"The teams actually build a small house on a brick and concrete block foundation and install plumbing and electrical components in the house," Carroll Morris, the school's construction and engineering teacher, wrote in an e-mail. "The three-man team actually beat over half of the four-man teams, so they did quite well, although they did not come in first."

The team lost a member just two days before the contest because of personal problems, Morris wrote.

Only a first-place winner was announced at the competition.

"Personally, from seeing all the houses built, I feel my team came in fourth place," Morris wrote. "This means they beat out six four-man teams with only three members. If all four members had been able to compete, I feel they would have won first place."

Also part of the school's SkillsUSA Team as individual competitors are Kayla Landrum, electrical wiring, and Chad Lind, carpentry, but they failed to advance beyond the region contest held in February at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro.