On December 5 welding students competed in a trailer build-off involving seven other schools. Lindale has hosted this event for the past few years and will continue in the future.

   “It’s a very difficult competition especially for our students here,” career-technology teacher Casey Jones said. “We don’t teach them to build specifically trailers. The way I run the department, we don’t build projects like this during class.”

   The build off consists of six hours of teams building trailers from tools and parts provided by Kearney Trailers. These teams had a fully-built trailer to use for reference and are allowed to measure the trailer, then take the pieces and build their own.

   “I think it had a positive impact on our community,” Jones said. “I know that last year we had more news coverage and advertising, but this year I didn’t reach out because this is my first year and I wanted to get it under my belt before I had them out here advertising and such.”

   This competition is a way for students interested in agriculture and welding to gain real-world experiences and develop trade skills. Students involved in this ranged from freshman to seniors, though it is an equally difficult competition for all competitors involved.

   “I have had a couple volunteers who are certified welding instructors come in and offer to help with things I don’t know about,” Jones said. “I think it’s made a pathway for other people to come in and help these students with future job opportunities.”

   Along with the build-off, there was a cooking competition that involved students who didn’t compete in the build-off. The food in this competition was used to feed firefighters lunch and was judged in competition.

   “My team this year was two seniors and two freshmen,” senior Carlee Pascal said. “A lot of teams this year were like that, with multiple grade levels working together, which is really good. ”