Shania Clifford is a high school junior and SkillsUSA masonry student who won the gold medal in Ohio’s Skills USA competition by 72 points.
“She had the best plumb there, outstanding,” her instructor said referring to the straightness of a column’s vertical edges.
When each rock sits square on the ones below it, a wall will last a lot longer than any of us – think pyramids. Think Crescent Hotel.
So this high school girl, using a yardstick, hank of stout cord, stakes, a line level and mason’s level, learned how to build a stone wall without mortar, make it straight up in all dimensions, and do it better than any other high school kid in Ohio. By a longshot. Qualifying her for the nationals.
Except the Ohio Dept. of Education said no, judges were wrong and the boy who placed third will go to nationals.
“Why even have judges if you’re going to override them?” Clifford asked.
Exactly.
Photo from Facebook