HELENA — Sparks flew from pieces of metal being welded Thursday afternoon as a group of Helena High School and East Helena Public Schools students competed in this year‘s welding competition. Helena High and East Helena students crafted metal sculptures during the 13th Helena-East Helena Weld Off.
Cindy Galbavy, a welding teacher at Helena High, told MTN that the weld-off helps students advance their skills and abilities in a trade they are already passionate about.
“We are the only AWS club in the state of Montana for high school students; our American Welding Society club is hosting this. Our students at Helena High are from Welding 1 to Welding 4 [classes]. The East Helena [students] are all advanced welders,” said Galbavy.
Each year, the competition has a theme.
“This year is Native American culture. So they're creating a design then they have all other different kinds of welds to hold the sculpture together,” said Galbavy.
Students worked in teams of four, competing head-to-head, creating sculptures celebrating Native American culture.
Competitors picked their own materials from scrap metal, drafted blueprints, and welded their sculptures; the process took around four hours.
Each project is then judged based on weld quality, creativity, teamwork, and design quality; organizers hope the style prepares students for welding in professional settings.
"This helps them get ready for working as part of a team and being able to work as a team. They learn how to work with somebody who may not be as skilled as they are. So they're learning to adapt with each other as they go," said Galbavy.
This year's winners were Helena High students RJ Berndt, Corey Rule, Collin Ries, and Casey Rule.
The students received a $100 gift certificate on behalf of Northside Welding and Fabrication, along with welding gloves, gear, and supplies.
