Masonry Magazine November 2001 Page. 29
MAKING
GRADE
Student in the spotlight
Contest Winner is
Apprentice of the Month
Keith Parker of Philadelphia, Penn., is our Masonry Apprentice of the Month. Parker took first-place honors in the post-secondary division of the National Masonry Contest held in conjunction with the SkillsUSA-VICA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, MO, this past summer.
Like many in masonry, Parker is both ambitious and hard working. He worked days off and weekends during high school and junior college, laying brick to put himself through school. An honor student at the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades in the Philadelphia area, Parker somehow found time to participate in football, wrestling, yearbook, newspaper and VICA.
During each of the past two summers, Parker volunteered on a goodwill trip to the Dominican Republic, participating in the construction of a hospital. It was his additional task to raise $1,000 in donations each year to pay for the trips.
Instructor Daniel Hiltebeitel is full of high praise for Parker. "He's an honor student at a very challenging school. His ability to complete multiple tasks and do them well is just amazing," Hiltebeitel says. And, Hiltebeitel ought to know. He has been an instructor for 23 years, and two of his previous students placed among the top three in the National Masonry Contest.
Parker's story doesn't end with his early masonry accomplishments. He is currently majoring in pharmacy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, Parker is working his way through school by laying brick!
Keith Parker, a 2001 masonry graduate of Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, Media, Penn., won first place in masonry at the 36th annual Skills USA-VICA national competition in Kansas City, MO. He won over 18 other competitors each representing their state. He laid brick and concrete block in a composite, 3-dimensional project, taking six hours to complete.