Shooting sparks and melting metal: welding students at TFHS wield the power

Twin Falls High School was one of 14 recipients of the Idaho Career Ready Students grant for Career and Technical Education programs. With about $1.1 million awarded, the district will get a new building to give more options to the welding and ag programs.

• TFHS was awarded $1.1 million for their welding and ag programs.
• Both programs will share a new building.
• All high school students in Twin Falls School District are able to take welding classes through TFHS.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)

"I just love it. To me, it's more of an art form," student welder Sophie Bartlett told me.

Bartlett is taking welding for a third year at Twin Falls High School.

She tells me it presents some interesting challenges and opportunities

"It's just something that I can constantly be getting better at. It's just a great thing and i think it's brought a lot of community in my life," Bartlett said.

The welding program will soon see growth, with plans for a new building thanks to a substantial career and technical education grant

"It's about almost $1.1 million to add a building," L.T. Erickson told me. Erickson is the Secondary Programs director for Twin Falls School District.

TFHS was one of 14 grant recipients from the Idaho Career Ready Students council.

"To be able to be awarded the grant really helps our students and our teachers provide a much higher quality program for Ag students and welding students," Erickson said.

With more space, the welding program can include more courses on fabrication, and the ag program will have shop space for the first time, creating all kinds of opportunities for small motor courses, to ag welding instruction.

"We're trying to really make the push provide relevant opportunities for our students that applied to our local area," Erickson said. "The Ag industry and construction, welding, a lot of different things going on right now."

I asked Bartlett how normal it was for high schoolers to get to spend time in a welding shop learning how to join metal.

"It's just not normal, I think, compared to other schools. It is just a large opportunity. I mean somebody can make like a whole career out of building and I think it's really good especially for kids that fall behind in school," Bartlett said. "It's just something that can put you where you need to be."