While most classes leave you sitting at desks all day, Welding is a different story.. The Vocational Welding Program just recently finished a project atVeterans Memorial Park, where they built a steel frame for a piece of artwork created by West’s own Mr. Schaeffer. West’s Vocational Welding 2 class worked hard to weld alongside past students and contractors to create this unique piece of artwork. On November 2nd, the ribbon cutting ceremony unveiled the artwork as well as other smaller projects in the park.
“The ribbon cutting was great, seeing how many people showed up, the whole parking lot was full. And just to see the work admired, I enjoyed,” junior Cory Carter said.
Not only was the turnout full of many veterans, students, district staff members, publicists, but also many special guests. Such as flag crews from surrounding American Legions and various salutes to their armed forces.
“I didn’t expect parashooters at the ribbon cutting ceremony,” junior Brody Stock said.
While the unveiling ceremony was recent, this project has been in the works for many years. Art teacher Mr. Schaeffer worked on a committee for the image for the past four years.
“I did nine revisions to the image, and the final revision was of the image finished in 2021, it was composed of letters and news articles from various wars. They have been packed up in my garage for two years, so seeing it up fully together was really impactful,” Schaeffer said.
The artwork was placed on a steel rebar frame with glass overtop it. The rebar was welded by West students as they were learning how to apply their skills to a real life project.
“I welded rebar cages that went in the concrete and also the bill frame on the large beam,” junior Memphis Cress said.
Learning skills such as welding and applying them to real projects can help develop a student’s skill level. While some students need to learn math for their futures, other students will benefit from a class that provides a gateway to a profession.
“I think if we had more classes like this, I think we would have a lot more kids involved,” Carter said.