D.H. Conley wins 12th annual carpentry competition at PCC

D.H. Conley High School took first place in the Greenville Pitt County Home Builders Association's 12th annual High School Carpentry Competition on Oct. 24 at Pitt Community College.

The event is a competition between the carpentry departments of the six public high schools in Pitt County. Each school has a team of eight students working together to build a 10-by-12 storage building. Each team uses the same plans and are judged in many aspects of workmanship such as their skill, speed and craftsmanship.

Local builders serve as judges. The completed buildings are sold, and the money is donated to the high schools' carpentry departments.

Through the efforts of donations from members of the Greenville Pitt County Home Builders Association, more than $65,000 has been contributed in the 12 years of the competition. Not only has the money enabled these classes to buy much-needed materials, but the competition has revived student interest in the trades as a career.