Sparks are flying down in the basement at Wheeling Park! The welding students are hard at work in their craft, and junior Terry Sparks is one semester away from being a completer in the program.

“I have a passion for welding and touching metal,” said Sparks, “I like throwing arcs and starting sparks.”

He also enjoys that welding allows him to create new and cool things from scraps. Park’s welding teacher, Mr. Hutchison, appreciates how he can give back to the students, and that’s why he chose this job.

“I just wanted to give back the skill to the students,” said Hutchison.

Watching the students learn more is also very rewarding for Mr. Hutchison.

“It’s fun to watch the progress from them not being able to weld to them understanding how to weld and getting a lot better at it,” said Hutchison.

Hutchison believes that students should take welding because it is a life skill that can be used long after graduation. It also prepares students for the future.

“I get a lot of hands-on experience, and I get to learn from all these different welders that [Mr. Hutchison] will either talk about or bring down to the classroom,” said Sparks.

Sparks also thinks that students should join welding because it’s a fun, educational class. Pre-registration may have already happened, but if you have room in your schedule, be sure to check out Wheeling Park’s welding CTE!