Jefferson H.S. Senior Places 3rd in State Wiring Contest
(JEFFERSON, GA. Jan. 15, 2018) – Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) engineering student intern and Jefferson High School senior Tan Tonge placed third overall in the state wiring competition on January 13, held at the State FFA-FCCLA Camp near Covington.
Competing against 10 other students from across Georgia, Tonge placed first in the wiring skill segment, with a score of 59.3 out of 60, in the State EMC/FFA Agricultural Electrification Career Development Event (CDE). The competition consists of three segments, including wiring skill, speech demonstration and written problem solving. This year’s event marks the 50th anniversary of the State Wiring competition.
“We are very proud of Tan,” said Jonathan Weaver, Director of System Engineering and Tonge’s supervisor at Jackson EMC. “He is very thoughtful in his work and highly capable.”
Tonge has won more than $2,000 in scholarship funds from the Georgia EMC-sponsored wiring contests over the last two years of competing.
“I am already dual enrolled at the University of North Georgia, and will start the pre-engineering program in the fall,” Tonge said. “These funds will help me achieve my goal.”
Tonge practiced extensively during the December school break, meeting with his Jefferson High School FFA advisor, David Calloway.
“Tan is such a hard worker and very committed to a career in electrical engineering,” Calloway said. “As a teacher, it has been a privilege to help him reach his goal.”
Tonge hopes to work for an EMC after college graduation. “I really like the atmosphere and community spirit in an EMC environment,” Tonge said.
Weaver said, “Tan is a quick learner, and he has tremendous potential in his future.”
In November, Tonge took first place in the 2017 Region II EMC/FFA Agricultural Electrification CDE held at Jackson EMC. Region II is comprised of schools served by Jackson, Blue Ridge, Habersham, Hart, Rayle, Snapping Shoals and Walton Electric Membership Corporations (EMC’s).
The competition reinforces classroom instruction and FFA-supervised activity projects in three stages: a problem-solving exercise, a practical wiring exercise and an oral presentation. Six regional wiring contests are held each fall to determine the 12 finalists for the annual state competition.
Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, the largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 225,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire. For more information, visit jacksonemc.com.
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Photo: Tan Tonge (left), a senior at Jefferson High School, recently placed third in the State Wiring competition. David Calloway (right) is his FFA advisor at Jefferson High School.