A UCDSB student competes in the Carpentry – Team of 2 event at the “Hammer and Nails” SKLZ Competition. Courtesy Photo
OTTAWA – On Wed., March 5, students from across the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) took part in the Regional “Hammer and Nails” SKLZ Competition within the state-of-the-art training facility at the Carpenter’s Union (Local 93) in Ottawa.
Forty-eight students from 10 UCDSB Secondary Schools competed against each other and students from the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) in various carpentry and cabinet making events.
When the sawdust settled, UCDSB students took home gold, silver, and bronze medals in individual and team challenges, such as shed and bench construction, and medicine cabinet building.
The top two UCDSB finishers in Individual Carpentry advance to a provincial qualifier in Kingston on April 5, with competitors in other events heading to the Skills Ontario competition to be held in Toronto in May.
The “Hammer and Nails” event marked the second SKLZ Competition of the 2024-25 school year, the first being held at the St. Lawrence College campus in Cornwall on Feb. 25.
Future SKLZ events include a Grade 7/8 Regional Competition on April 8 at the North Grenville Municipal Centre, as well as UCDSB specific competitions in culinary arts and robotics planned for the spring.
The UCDSB results from the “Hammer and Nails” SKLZ Competition are as follows:
Carpentry – Team of 4
Bronze – Jordyn Truman, Seth Riehl, Sam Grant, Mikeila Burtch – Rideau District High School (Advancing to Skills Ontario)
Carpentry – Team of 2
Gold – Devin Roberts, Brodie Roberts – Seaway District High School (Advancing to Skills Ontario)
Silver – Nolan Tym, Mathew Beggs – North Grenville District High School
Bronze – Liam Grette, Skyler McDonald – Glengarry District High School
Carpentry – Individual
Silver – Cohen Williams, Glengarry District High School (Advancing to Provincial Qualifier)
Fourth – Liam Dunn, Glengarry District High School (Advancing to Provincial Qualifier)
Cabinet Making
Gold – Liam Ladouceur, Glengarry District High School (Advancing to Skills Ontario).
Congratulations to all the participants and good luck in the upcoming competitions.
Terry Tinkess is a professional photographer, educator and journalist. He has been making a living with a camera and keyboard since 1999 and has been featured in such publications as The Ottawa Citizen, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, The Globe and Mail, The Miami Herald, Ottawa Construction News, The Ontario Construction Report, Ontario Home Builder Magazine, Reed Construction Data, Canadian Potato Business and most recently, The Record and Eastern Ontario AgriNews. Terry lives in Ingleside, Ontario with his wife Brenda, Mia the anxious Pittie and cats Wally and Chubbers.
