2021 HVAC Senior of the Year to work at Brolley & Schmitt Plumbing

Congratulations to Hampton Township's Mark Gibson who was named the 2021 Senior of the Year in A.W. Beattie’s HVAC program!

“I’m happy I’ve gotten a baseline knowledge of everything to do with the trades, and it gives you a better idea of what you want to do because you gain experience in everything,” Mark said. “After three years, you know what you like and what you don’t like. It prepares you to pursue a job and a career that suits you well.”

Mark enjoyed learning from Mr. Hughes and Mr. Miller and working on HVAC units.

“Being in a family of carpenters, I didn’t get to do too much HVAC before I came here,” Mark said. “It was also good to learn electrical even though I don’t like it that much. Being able to do electrical and understanding it will help you with pretty much everything you’re doing in HVAC.”

Mark also said the key to success at Beattie is coming in with an open mind.

“If you want to learn, if you want to put in the effort, and if you are willing to make mistakes that you can learn from, you’ll get a lot farther ahead,” Mark said. “I walked in not expecting to learn half as much as I did but I tried to learn everything they handed out to us. If you want to succeed, Mr. Miller and Mr. Hughes are going to put you into that position to get ready for the next steps with a job.”

Mark plans to continue working after graduation with Brolley & Schmitt Plumbing and going to school to become a Masters Plumber. He has worked at Brolley & Schmitt Plumbing through Beattie’s Co-Op program, which allows him to work with an employer during class time for four days per week.

Mark also participated in SkillsUSA, Beattie 360 and Beattie Ambassadors. He won a state championship in the Plumbing category of SkillsUSA.

Good Luck Mark!