Cape High sophomore wins bronze in carpentry contest

Cape High sophomore Keller Mancari brought home the bronze at the Delaware SkillsUSA cabinetmaking competition March 24, the first year Cape was eligible to enter the contest.

Any student enrolled in a carpentry pathway in Delaware was able to participate in the state contest, said Cape High Carpentry, Cabinetry and Design teacher Josh Dickson, who placed seventh nationally as a student in the 2008 competition.

Cape High junior Luke McCarthy also competed in the event held at Cape High, where students were given blueprints and a list of materials needed to build a base cabinet with a wood top. 

Students worked individually at their own stations, using table and miter saws, drills, routers, pocket hole machines and other tools, along with materials such as red oak plywood, solid red oak, hinges, shelf supports, biscuits and brads.

After being judged on layout and machine skills, an oral interview, safety, neatness and the finished product, Jackson Garrett and Vasco Granitto, both from Polytech High School, placed gold and silver, respectively. Students from St. Georges Technical High School and Delcastle Technical High School also competed in the event.

Jackson will now go on to the national SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, Ga., June 19-23, where he will compete against students from each participating state.