CHS Students Excel at Pelican Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Competition

    On March 19 six students from the Central High School Welding and Electrical programs competed at the 2015 Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Competition.  Brennan Borne, Ashton Dixon, and Dylan Dupree placed first in the welding team competition.  Dylan Dupree placed first and Brennan Borne placed second in the individual welding competition.  Mr. Roger Ball is the welding instructor.

    Shane Story, Christian Nettles, and Aaron Zumo placed second in the electrical team competition, and Christian Nettles placed second in the individual electrical competition.  Mrs. Allison Coleman is the electrical instructor.
    Students from schools throughout the parishes served by the Pelican ABC participated in the competition. The competitors for this event were chosen by their instructors for their exemplary performance, good attendance, and above average grades on written tests in their respective classes.   The competition mirrors the ABC National Competition and consists of three parts.  The first two parts are the performance and knowledge tests.  Each competitor not only has to do well with their hands portion of the competition, but also with a written assessment pertaining to both safety and knowledge of their craft.  The third and most important part of this competition is safety as it pertains to the tasks involved during the hands on part of the contest.  This can mean the difference between first and second place and like the jobsite, it should dictate how to do a task correctly and in what order. 
    Congratulations to our students and teachers for this outstanding accomplishment.  Central High School would also like to say thank you to the Pelican Chapter of ABC and to the contractors, vendors, and owners who helped supply materials, volunteers and judges to make this opportunity available to our students.  

Pictured, Top: Christian Nettles, Shane Story, Aaron Zumo and Mrs. Allison Coleman, electrical instructor. Bottom: Dylan Dupree, Ashton Dixon, Brennan Borne, and Mr. Roger Ball, welding instructor

Partnerships that Work

    Students in the welding program at Central High School benefit from business partnerships that broaden and enrich the learning opportunities for both students and instructors. In fact, collaboration between business and education helps put the welding students to work, literally. Collaboration better ensures that students graduate from high school equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in the workplace, post-secondary education and life. Students are well-prepared to function in high-performance workplaces–environments that demand teamwork, problem-solving, and complex reasoning skills.  
    The welding program at Central High School follows the American Welding Society (AWS) standards which are almost completely lab based.  Students are trained on oxy fuel and welding safety, structural welding, flux core welding, TIG welding and pipe welding along with instruction focused on career preparation.
    Professional Welders work almost everywhere – automotive, aerospace, aviation, ship building, construction and defense industries. It’s a training program that teaches skills that can be used worldwide, so almost anywhere you want to go, welding training can take you there. And the job demand is increasing. Labor market data indicates that jobs for welders and pipefitters are expected to grow for the next decade, especially along the Gulf coast.  
    Welding Testing Laboratory/X-Ray located at 4350 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, La 70805 is a partner for the Central High School welding program. Welding Testing Laboratory has been providing Welder Testing and Weld Procedure Development, Metallurgical, and Nondestructive Testing Services to a large variety of Petrochemical, Paper, Oil, Pipeline, and related industries for over 30 years.  
    They conduct American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Section IX industry standard weld tests of students’ projects that result in Welder Qualification Identification Cards for CHS welding students.   These ID cards are recognized and respected by businesses and industries across the nation.  This support for the CHS welding program is made possible by Larry Henderson – President, Danny Venable, and Janet Junot.  The Central High School welding instructor, Roger Ball, works closely with Weld Test to assure students’ projects meet the industry standard.
    By working closely with schools, business partners ensure that future members of the workforce are available and trained to industry standards.  Welding Testing Laboratory/X-Ray and CHS… a partnership that works for Central High School, our students, our community, and our state’s economy.