EL student places 9th at nationals
Published: July 1, 2009
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Justin Stewart recently finished in ninth place in cabinetry at the Skills USA national competition.
Elk Lake High School student Justin Stewart recently placed in the top 10 at the national Skills USA competition last week in Kansas City, Mo.
Stewart, 18, finished in ninth place in the cabinet-making program out of 43 competitors.
“I wish I did better, but top 10 in the nation is pretty good,” he said.
Stewart earned his way to the national event after first-place finishes in both the regional and state competition, teacher Craig Good said.
“He’s the best cabinet maker in the state,” the teacher said.
Skills USA is a national organization that tests high school students on their vocational or leadership skills. Competitions are held in dozens of categories.
“It’s the largest competition of its kind in the world,” Good said.
In Stewart’s category, the competition requires competitors to read a blueprint and construct a cabinet based on those plans, without any preparation. For the national event, Stewart was required to build a desktop cabinet.
“You have no idea what you have to build. It’s a complete surprise,” Stewart said.
According to the Skills USA website, competitors are expected to read the drawings, lay out and cut the parts using a table saw, laminate trimmer, hand drill, hinge boring machine and various hand tools. The parts must be accurately assembled, sanded and adjusted to tolerances specified by the judges.
Competitors are given just eight hours to complete the project, Stewart explained.
“You’re given a certain amount of time, and you don’t think it’s going to be enough,” he said.
As it turns out, Stewart competed his cabinet in plenty of time. He said he was one of the first in the competition to finish.
Stewart admitted he was somewhat surprised at his first place finishes at the regional and state competitions, and never expected to reach nationals. But deep down, he believed he would fare well against his competition.
“There’s never been anything I haven’t been able to figure out,” he said.
Stewart, who will be a senior at Elk Lake in the fall, is the son of Buzz and Cheryl Stewart of Meshoppen. Because his father owns a contracting business, he said he has been exposed to woodworking all of his life.
But it was during his seventh grade industrial arts class, taught by Good, that he really got hooked on the craft. Stewart said he discovered he loved creating things with his own hands.
After taking a drafting course in ninth grade, Stewart developed the skills to create his own projects. Many of the woodworking pieces he has built over the years have been donated to churches and other organizations, he noted.
After he graduates from Elk Lake, Stewart said he wants to pass his expertise on to others by becoming an industrial arts teacher himself. He said he plans to attend Millersville University to advance his skills and get an education degree as well.
