Congratulations newly certified wallers:
Level 1:
Nicholas Csicsko Scott Drew David Edwards James Kappel Teddy Lyman Hannah McKelvey Zion Peart
Level 2:
Todd Cuthbert Anthony Tavares
On a beautiful September day, eleven wallers came to the Stone Trust Center in Dummerston, VT to achieve certification as dry stone wallers. Seven wallers came to test for Level 1 Certification and four wallers tested for Level 2 Certification. All wallers had 7.5 hours to show the assessors their skills needed to pass the DSWA certification tests.
A Level 1 Certification Test requires wallers to strip out and rebuild a middle section of a freestanding wall in the time, while Level 2 requires wallers to strip out and rebuild a cheek end, or wall end. The Level 1 Test has a much higher rate of passing than the Level 2 Test, which has about a 55% pass rate. The Level 2 Certification Test is more complicated with the cheek end, but also has a higher standard to pass because it is recognized as the worldwide standard for dry stone walling. Both tests show a great amount of skill and effort to take down and rebuild a section of wall by yourself in 7.5 hours. You should all be proud of putting out your best effort and committing the time and energy to preparing for and taking these tests.
All seven Level 1 wallers passed with two out of four Level 2 wallers passed their tests. One of these Level 2 Wallers was testing for his third time, showing great persistence. Both wallers who passed have attended multiple workshops, including test prep workshops, and practiced a number of times before passing this test. Hopefully some Level 1 Wallers will be back to test for Level 2, whether it is their first or second try. We hope to support you all on your journey to certification.
Thank you to assessors Jared Flynn, Chris Tanguay, and Brian Post for making test day happen and go so smoothly. It is because of these Level 4 Master Craftsmen that we can offer DSWA certification testing in the US. Being able to consistently offer testing in Vermont has allowed wallers to come from all over the US twice a year to achieve certification, furthering our mission to preserve and advance the art and craft of dry stone walling.
