Masonry Magazine June 2006 Page. 54
News
Local, State &
Regional
# Alabama
Greene County High School in Eutaw, Ala., recently replaced its old marker with this new brick design for identification.
Through the efforts of Superintendent Dr. Douglas L. Ragland, Principal Carolyn M. Young, board members, faculty and the student body, this new design with the school's tiger mascot mounted on the top has fostered a deeper sense of pride and promoted greater community awareness for the school academic and athletic programs.
The new design is 14'6" x 9'4" x 1'8" and constructed with a reinforced concrete foundation six inches thick. Approximately 3,300 bricks were laid, with 140 12-inch blocks used as fillers.
Milton H. Young, retired masonry instructor, performed the work and continues to perform special jobs at the school. He holds professional membership in the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA), National Masonry Instructors Association (NMIA), and the Alabama Masonry Instructors Association (AMIA), and is certified commercial/residential.
Young and other members of NMIA also served as judges for the International Masonry Skills Challenge at MCAA'S Masonry Showcase held in Las Vegas, March 29-31.
For more information on the NMIA, please visit www.masonryinstructors.com.
# Colorado
The Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute (RMMI) recently held its annual bricklaying contest for high school juniors and seniors at Warren Tech in Lakewood, Colo. Separated into class divisions, students competed for awards and prizes by building a wall using blueprints. Judges from RMMI member companies, such as Berich Masonry, scored the participants on level, plumb, square and range, and measurements. Threewit-Cooper Cement Company and Colorado Scaffolding and Equipment Company donated cash prizes and masons tools for the top competitors. Also, 12 students graduating from the school's masonry program were evaluated for entry-level positions with RMMI member companies.
Linda Riney was recently selected to serve as the RMMI Member Services director. In that capacity, Riney will visit member companies, arrange member networking evenings, organize certification courses and Lunch-n-Learn seminars, lead the Work Safe and workers' compensation programs, and attend to the professional needs of more than 100 member companies.
Riney's background includes more than 20 years experience in management, finance, real estate, insurance and mutual funds. She developed her management skills by participating in programs such as Six Sigma with GE Capital. Riney established an automobile credit division with GE Capital and launched the first Land Home division in Colorado with Green Tree Financial Services Inc., allowing manufactured housing to be affixed to real property.
The inaugural RMMI Clays for Masonry event will be held at Kiowa Creek, near Bennett, Colo, on July 14. The sporting clays event is expected to be a popular fundraiser for the promotion and education programs RMMI offers. Tickets are $100. Contact Executive Director Larisa LaBrant at larisa@rmmi.org or (303) 893-3838 if you would like to participate.
The RMMI Lunch-n-Learn free monthly brown bag seminars continue to increase in popularity. This year, RMMI is offering two new seminars for municipal planners and elected officials, as well as the usual crowd of architects and engineers. The June and December Lunch-n-Learns will address Total Masonry Construction and the 2003 International Building Code. All RMMI events are listed on the website at www.rmmi.org.
# Georgia
More than 90 people attended the April 11 celebration and open house of the Masonry Association of Georgia's (MAG) apprenticeship training center in their new location at Lantrac Court in Decatur. Thanks to generous and faithful contributors, the association has taken a big step in its commitment to provide quality training for the next generation of masons.
After members and guests observed the apprentices at work in the new lab, MAG Apprenticeship Training Director Jamie Buck presented an informative overview of how the MAG apprenticeship program operates. Then, all the attendees were treated to a barbecue dinner.
The new training center has a reception area and office space for the apprenticeship training director, a classroom that can accommodate up to 35 students and additional practical lab space, thereby allowing more apprentices to participate in the training program. A covered area located behind the training center houses the mixer, saw and sand pile.
MAG uses the NCCER Contren Learning Series for the masonry trade along with eight physical stage projects apprentices must complete to advance into each level of training. Currently, there are 18 students - 16 first-year, one second-year, and one third-year-enrolled in the training program. Edgar Peralta instructs the three-year, semester-based apprenticeship training program.