2024 Arena wars!

Arena Wars 2024: The Battle of the Trades at DCTS!

This year, DCTS proudly hosted its first annual Arena Wars competition! Students from the Construction Academy showcased their skills in an epic showdown to determine the best team. Representing the shops were ECM (Electrical Construction and maintenance), HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air conditioning), Masonry, and Carpentry, with a few additional participants from BCT joining in to add to the excitement.

The Challenge:

Students were tasked with assembling a team of their friends and classmates to construct a 4’x4′ building with 8′ walls, a roof, drywall, trim, electrical work, and a working HVAC system—all within just three days, following a specific set of plans.

The Journey:

• Commitment Phase (1 Month Before): Students committed to the competition by getting their names on the official roster, demonstrating their dedication to participate.
• Approval Process: Shop teachers reviewed and approved the students’ participation.
• Academic Coordination (1 Week Before): Participants needed approval from their academic teachers to ensure they could participate on both shop and academic days.
• Team Formation (4 Days Before): Students received the set of plans, began forming their teams, and strategized to align their skills with the competition’s requirements.
• Preparation (2 Days Before): Teams were issued building permits and personal sets of plans. They met with their assigned “customer” (a non-construction teacher volunteering their time) to finalize their groups, create a schedule, and prepare a price estimate. This step concluded with an official contact with their customer to share the project details.

Day 1:

• Group 1: Leading the charge initially was Group 1, headed by Klay, an 11th grader from ECM. His team included carpenters Bryson and Alex, both in 11th grade, Ba’Ryea, an 11th grader from Masonry, and their HVAC technician Ryan, also in 11th grade.
• Group 6: Hot on their heels was Group 6, led by Liany, a 10th grader in Carpentry. Her team comprised Teegan, a 10th-grade mason, Sulav from ECM, also in 10th grade, and Lamont, their 11th-grade HVAC technician.
• Third Place: For much of the first day, the third-place position was fiercely contested, with multiple teams vying for the spot.

By the end of Day 1, Group 6 surged ahead, securing the lead with 37 points and earning the highest customer satisfaction rating. Their exceptional teamwork and efficiency set a high standard for the competition moving forward.

Day Two of Arena Wars 2024 proved to be the closest and most competitive day yet, with Group 1 making a significant push to close the gap on Group 6. However, a layout error resulted in their plot being north-facing instead of south-facing, preventing them from completely overtaking Group 6 in points.

Leaderboard Highlights:

• Group 1: Led by Klay, an 11th grader from ECM, with his team of Bryson and Alex (11th grade carpenters), Ba’Ryea (11th grade Masonry), and Ryan (11th grade HVAC), Group 1 fought hard to close the gap with Group 6.
• Group 6: Still holding the lead, Group 6, led by Liany, a 10th grader in Carpentry, with Teegan (10th-grade Masonry), Sulav (10th-grade ECM), and Lamont (11th-grade HVAC), continued to impress with their consistent performance.
• Group 2: Secured a solid 3rd place early in the morning, led by Kingdavid along with Skyler and Jesus, all 10th graders from Carpentry. Their team included masons Simms and Bryan, Carson from ECM, and Jamal from HVAC.
• Group 5: Led by Kayana, an 11th grader from Carpentry, with team members Elijah (11th grade), Barry (12th grade), mason Destiny, and HVAC tech Deshaun, battled for the third place spot.

By the end of Day 2, Group 6 remained in the lead, while Group 1 and Group 2 were tied for second place. Group 4, composed of three ECM students Lea, Maliah, and Amira and Jordan, a 10th grader from HVAC, held a steady 4th place.

Day 3 was the thrilling conclusion of Arena Wars 2024. No team gave up, and all hammers swung until the very last moments. Group 9, with three 9th graders from Masonry and Ash, a 10th grader from HVAC, made a valiant effort to stay in the fight all day, being one of only four teams to finish their HVAC system.

As the points grew, students made commendable efforts to close the gaps on their opponents, trying to catch up to Group 6. By the end of the day:

• Group 2, led by Kingdavid, secured 3rd place.
• Group 1, led by Klay, finished in 2nd place.
• Group 6, led by Liany, took home the trophy, claiming victory.

Thank you so much to all the competitors, and to the parents and teachers who have supported these students, making them the dedicated and focused individuals they are. Each of these students should be proud of their courage to put their skills to the test in front of their peers.

Thank You to Our Participants and Volunteers!

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the students, teachers, and volunteers who made Arena Wars 2024 a huge success. Your hard work and enthusiasm were truly inspiring!

We also would like to say how proud we are of all the construction teachers in the groups:

Kayliana: The lumber consultant who kept things moving and filled the orders for all of the groups even improvising when some of the lumber types ran out.

Satdiell, David, Mackenna, Alysha, and Narvara: who are all 9th grade masonry students and did an amazing job even catching up at points to the top three. Though they started the competition with no clear carpenter they found some and sub contracted them, but never let their lack of experience hold them back. Without a question they have brought a huge honor to masonry and DCTS as a whole.

Jordan, Lea, Maliah, and Amira: Who was a group of one HVAC student and three ECM students. Jordan being the glue that kept things moving and the other three being a power house of hard work have brought honor on ECM learning on the fly how to do a block foundation and part of a brick ledge.

See you at the next Arena Wars!