Page B-2
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Cougars torch the competition
at annual weld-a-thon
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
Cougar parents, take
note: your kids might
be
playing
with
fire.
At the 23rd Annual Weld-
a-thon at Rogue Community
College (RCC) in Grants
Pass, Illinois Valley High
School students took home 12
event awards and 14 personal
awards Thursday, Feb. 4.
Youth from Rogue Valley
schools wearing protective gear
and goggles mingled in one
building, showing their skills
through written exams and
hands-on welding techniques.
According to IVHS
welding
instructor
Amy
Meyer, this year’s competition
was more relaxed, with
specific heats in each category
helping keep things organized.
“Another thing that was
great is how the difficulty of
welds increased for each area,
so it was more competitive
than in years past,” Meyer said.
Contests
included
shielded metal, oxy-acetylene
and gas metal arc welding. A
written exam testing welding
knowledge was used as a
tiebreaker. And the newly added
team fabrication event required
collaboration between students.
Among the first-place
winners were J.D. Duran,
Robin Highbarger, Tyler
Delaney and the Illinois Valley
team with Delaney, Elissa
Matthews and Jake Salas.
The long list of other
Cougars with awards included
Austin Hart, Tyler Bethke,
Isaac
Carnes,
Margaret
Ruiz, Gabriel Hearn, Devan
Larue and Chris Cano.
Dave Waslin, a local
contractor with a welding
background, helped get spare
metals and materials to Illinois
Valley High School for students
to apply their techniques.
“I like to help out where
I can when I can,” Waslin said.
“If we can’t get the materials
to the kids, they can’t learn.”
Waslin said he’s spent
about 26 years contracting in
the Valley, helping install gates
when qualified contractors
and welders could be difficult
to find. He also gave credit
to several local residents
who also donated materials
for
high-school
welders.
The welding program at
Illinois Valley and other high
schools is an example of an
extra-curricular activity that
could help bring opportunities
to students looking for a trade.
Waslin showed concern
for the effects the economy
has had on struggling
families, but stressed the
importance of activities like
welding to teach students
something
constructive.
“I know we pay a lot of
taxes, but if we don’t help the
schools who are having all
these activities cut, we’re not
going to be able to teach the
kids,” Waslin said. “They have
good in them. We just have to
show them how to bring it out.”
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