Jan. 11—Students have used Riverside High School's welding lab to create projects for the school, competitions and career preparation, and they had the opportunity to demonstrate their skills to community members on Jan 10.

Welding students and teacher Scott Blank introduced members of Riverside's Business Advisory Council to the lab at its most recent meeting. Blank described the class and some of its projects, while he and the students demonstrated the equipment.

"We introduce them to the shop, safety, that type of stuff," Blank said. "We go over the welding machine, what it's capable of doing, what processes we can weld, what materials we are able to weld on, and then our end goal is to try to get some welding qualifications or certifications on a specific process."

"I also talk to the kids about careers in welding, and that also determines what track I send the kids," he added.

Austin Mapes was one of the students showing council members how to use equipment in the welding lab, which he described as a "second home."

"It gives you real-life experiences," he said.

Among the projects that he had worked on were a trailer for the school band and a small submarine, which was his favorite project.

In addition to teaching a skill, Riverside's welding class is preparing students for life after school.

"You've got kids that are coming in here every day, they're welding, they're getting industry-recognized credentials, certifications, that kind of thing," said Assistant Principal Chris Basich in previous comments to The News-Herald.

"These guys and girls are getting so confident in their ways that they are just going to get that job," said Principal Bill Mayer, adding, "They're going to be the top of the line."

Blank noted that students have also prepared for a Project MFG competition, which involves making pressure vessels and other "military-based projects."

"This is through the Department of Defense," he said. "They're in real need of skilled people."

Welding students have created other projects for the school. Mayer noted that they made him a penholder. They will also work with the woodshop class to create turnover chains, which will include a Riverside Beavers logo and can be handed out to athletes after a game.

Curriculum Director Melissa Mlakar added that the welding class helped make her desk.

According to Mlakar, the current welding students have also taken the lead in demonstrating the equipment to other students.

'"They're pulling in kids at study hall or kids who we see who are at risk during different times and introducing them," she said. "The coolest part is, it's happening with the other students.

"The kids who are actually interested and excited are passing that interest and excitement on to the next generation of kids, which is really the way to continue a program."

While many students come from Riverside, not all do. Mlakar noted that the school usually has one or two extra seats available in a class and will invite students from neighboring Perry Schools.

"As long as the spots are available, that's what schools should do," Mlakar said. "They should share resources."

"I love seeing our kids interact," Mayer said.

Blank added, "We've taken students who don't want to come to school, and they're here because of this program."

Mlakar noted that this is the second full year that the current program has been fully available, though she added that Riverside has long had a welding class.

"The change...kind of came from ODE [Ohio Department of Education], and this idea of starting to look at career tech differently," she said.

According to Mlakar, the district was part of a consortium that applied for and was awarded a state Innovative Workforce and Incentive Program grant before the COVID-19 pandemic. The district was set to receive $430,000 to $450,000, but the award was withdrawn at the start of the pandemic.

Riverside's School Board decided to fund the career-focused changes anyway.

"I really wanted to start upping our game and what we were offering as far as career electives," she said. "The board committed to that money."

The state later re-awarded the grant and reimbursed the district for the changes, Mlakar noted.

"This was a metal shop, but what we did was, they basically went in with Lincoln Electric here and got all the machinery upgraded, all the workspaces," Basich said. He added that the equipment is "industry standard."

Mlakar said that the current program is a one-year class, taking half of the school day.

"My vision is that we have opportunities like this," she explained. "Now clearly, not every career path will have something as intense as a welding lab that's needed — but that we will have an opportunity, an elective, in each career pathway that every Riverside kid will have an opportunity to experience what they think they want to do before they leave Riverside."

Mayer and Mlakar have praise for Blank.

"What's pretty cool for me is to see a coach, a teacher, a kid-connector that is obviously lighting the candle," Mayer said. "You can see how passionate he is

"He just took command of that room," she said. "Every kid knew what to do, so it speaks to how he runs his classroom, because all of them knew exactly what to do, where to go, how to handle themselves. That's what a good teacher does.

"It's not a specific kid, it's not a specific path. You don't get any more personalized than that, which is so cool. And a huge part of that is the teacher."

Citing an increase in steel prices, Blank asked people to consider donating supplies during the BAC meeting. People who are interested can email him at Scott.Blank@riversideschools.net.