Mark Westphal and Eric Plashehanski have designed a bright future for themselves.
The two Brandon residents competed against other southeastern Michigan students and came up successful at the National Association of Women in Construction (Detroit Chapter) 2003-04 Design/Drafting Competition.
Westphal, a senior at Brandon High School, won first place in the Hand Division at the competition, while Plashehanski, a 2004 Brandon graduate, took second place in the Hand Division. Last year, Westphal took second place in the Hand Division.
The two students, along with the other winners, were honored at the ninth annual Construction Industry Night Awards Event June 16 at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, which featured Frankie Darcell from WMXD-FM (Mix 92.3) as master of ceremonies and Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence as keynote speaker.
Contestants were divided into two divisions ? the Hand Division, where they work on their designs completely by hand, and the CADD (Computer Aided Drafting and Design) Division, where students use computers to design their projects.
For the competition, each of the contestants had to design and blueprint a 7,000-square foot group home to accommodate teenagers with special needs.
‘Each year, they put on a different activity they’d like us to get into,? said Mark Babich, a Brandon High School drafting teacher for 32 years, who worked with Westphal and Pleshehanski on their projects before retiring at the end of the 2003-04 school year.
‘They have specific directions who the project is for and what needs to be in it,? he added. ‘The home for disadvantage children needed to include study areas, a kitchen, entertainment areas, and room for activities out in the backyard.?
The students started their projects around October 2003, and turned them in at the end of March. Each contestant had to submit eight drawings.
Both Westphal and Plashehanski worked on their designs completely by hand. Although Plashehanski said students from other schools used computers to design their projects, he felt working on it by hand would be the best route.
‘You learn more doing it by hand ? you’re able to check your own work,? he said.
Babich also said working on the projects completely by hand would be the most beneficial method for the students.
‘We’ve always been in the hand drawing competition,? he said. ‘The judges were very pleased with the hand drawing. They feel computer drawing takes away creativity.?
Westphal, who is working this summer at Custom Home Design in Clarkston, said he hopes to attend the University of Detroit Mercy after graduating from Brandon in 2005. ‘That’s what I’m aiming for ? they have a good architecture program,? he said.
Meanwhile, Plashehanski is entering his freshman year at Grand Valley State University, majoring in engineering.