April 2008: Making the Grade
Words: Adam Coffey, Lee Porter
Making the Grade
Overwhelming Instructor Support
Lee Porter, a masonry instructor at C.E. McCormick ATC in Alexandria, Ky., knows a talented masonry student when he sees one. Porter saw a good student in Adam Coffey, and he supports recognition for this up-and-coming mason.
"I'd like to see my student, Adam Coffey, honored in your magazine for the hard work and dedication he has demonstrated," Porter says.
A senior at Pendleton County High School, Coffey participates in football and basketball and is completing his second year at C.E. McCormick ATC. He began his technical schooling in the auto body program, but quickly transferred into masonry.
"Early in the program, I was impressed by how easily Adam picked up the requisite skills," Porter says. "In his first competition, he placed third in our local SkillsUSA competition. That seemed to inspire him to work even harder. He told me he was going to win the regional SkillsUSA competition, and he did."
Porter says Coffee continued to practice and push himself. When he won the Kentucky State SkillsUSA competition, he earned a trip to Kansas City, Mo., where he earned 11th place in the National SkillsUSA Masonry Contest.
"Adam is a very gifted young mason, and I'm proud to have had the opportunity to instruct him," says Porter. "Adam says he's going back to Kansas City; I have no doubt about that. He says he can win the competition this year. I'll say this: I truly believe he has an excellent chance of it."
Porter says Coffey has always strived to be the best he can be and that he will make an excellent contribution to the masonry industry. The future looks bright for our nation's masonry students.