December 2008: Making the Grade

Words: Dan KamysDecember 2008 Making the Grade

A Young Mason

Raul Torrez: a high school masonry instructor's dream.

When Raul Torrez enrolled in an "Introduction to Masonry" class as a sophomore at Harlingen High School, no one knew to expect such a high level of achievement.

"I'm really proud of this young man," says Torrez's instructor, Victor Santillan. "By the end of his junior year, he had won the Texas State competition and advanced to the National Masonry Contest at the SkillsUSA conference in Kansas City."

Between the end of the school year and the national contest, Torrez teamed with Santillan to build a block retaining wall for the high school's marquee.

Information about the Masonry Industry Raul Torrez is an excellent student and even better mason. Information about the Masonry Industry

"He's a good worker," says Santillan. "Over the course of two weeks, Raul and another student laid eight-inch block and modular brick to build that wall. It gave me a chance to work with him outside the classroom and for him to get even more experience before the contest."

Torrez, now a high school senior, is in the advanced masonry program, which is dual-enrolled with Texas State Technical College, enabling him to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Santillan has sponsored 12 students in the SkillsUSA National Masonry Contest and six consecutive state representatives.

"I hope Raul maintains his interest in the program," says Santillan. "He has the ability to improve just enough to win the contest next year."

Return to Table of Contents
GEN NXT: Mason Paolini
May 2026

This month, the MCAA got to talk with Mason Paolini, a mason who has a clear passion and talent for the trade he has such high praise for. Read about Mason’s story and why he sees a future in this industry. Mason Paolini’s career began with a simple desi

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Tianjin Zhongshuge Library
May 2026

It is not unusual today for masonry to be treated as a surface decision rather than a structural one. Too often, brick enters a project late in the process, trimmed back by budgets or reduced to a veneer once the “real” building work is finished. The Tian

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More