Weld Done: Girls That Weld 🔥

 

As part of ThunderRidge High School’s SkillsUSA program, welding instructor Oscar Chaparro established a Girls That Weld chapter to bridge the gender gap in the trade. 

To practice their skills, the group designed and fabricated a custom bike rack for Bear Canyon Elementary! Using photos of existing bike racks for reference, the group spent their initial meetings planning, sketching and cutting material under Chaparro’s guidance. The most creative feature - the side panels - was inspired by the elementary school's logo, a bear in front of a mountain.

“Seeing the girls transition from learning the basics of cutting and fabrication to confidently building something that will serve our community for years to come captures the reasons we started this program,” said Chaparro. “Our mission was to encourage more young women to explore the welding field and to provide a supportive environment to work and create.”

The custom structure was delivered to Bear Canyon Elementary a few days ago, coinciding with February’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) month. ThunderRidge High School continues to support these hands-on opportunities through its five approved CTE pathways.