• Win a Ruger 10/22 rifle in the Perry raffle.
Jace Perry, a 2024 graduate of Star Valley High School, has qualified for the SkillsUSA National competition in Atlanta, Georgia taking place on June 24. Perry is raising funds to cover his travel and competition expenses.
Perry brought a gold medal home from the Wyoming SkillsUSA Carpentry competition in April and will represent Wyoming in the national competition, where he will be expected to read and follow a set of blueprints, independently constructing a required structure from wood and other building materials.
As a construction and carpentry student at SVHS, Perry participated in the Residential Construction classes that built a house from the ground up in North Afton over the last two years.
[Building the house] was a really cool learning experience,” said Perry in an interview on the SVI Radio Network last week. He received “hands-on’ experience and instruction that gave him real-life exposure with a safety net offered by community professionals and industry teachers in the school program.
In the state competition, “They gave us a set of plans and told us to build [what was in the plan],” Perry explained. “We had about eight hours to build this little four by four foot shed with a funky roof. By the time I got done, it was about an hour and a half to two hours early, and then I found a mistake in the plans and I had to go back and fix it.”
Of the 14 competitors at the state level, only four finished in the required amount of time, and as far as he knows, he’s the first student from Star Valley to win the carpentry division.
Much like the state event, the national competition will test his skill at the highest levels. “I have no idea what I’ll be building. They’ll just hand me the blueprints and the tools requiring just about anything that you could do [as a carpenter].”
The judging rubric includes individual scores in various carpentry skills including, but not limited to, resume presentation as well as project layout, framing and roofing. Completion of the project earns 100 points out of the gate. With 50 or more potential competitors in the national carpentry division, Perry expects to bring his A game.
Expenses to travel to and compete at the national level will involve significant sacrifice for a young graduate, Perry and his family are selling raffle tickets for various hand-crafted items, like quilts and blankets, but the big draw for folks who purchase a raffle ticket is a Ruger 10/22 rifle. “The Ruger is a pretty cool piece.”
To purchase raffle tickets, call the Perry Family at 307-887-8976 or 307-887-8977. “You can buy as many tickets as you want. Purchase one ticket for $5 or five tickets for $20.
Perry is “looking forward to the experience” and just being able to fully realize his accomplishment. After working for the summer in Star Valley, he plans to attend the University of Utah studying Civil Engineering.
“These are skills that will help, regardless” of your course of study, Perry advised younger students. Focus on “determination. Just keep practicing. Have fun with it. Keep at it.”
Drawings for the raffle items will be completed before Perry leaves for Atlanta.
