Experiential Learning Week: Welding and fabrication

Mac Strachen-Reed cutting with help from classmates

Toni Lucas

Matthew Halton High School held Experiential Learning Week from March 24 - 28 in Pincher Creek and area. During this week each student chose a single course that they are enrolled in for the duration of the week. The school held 19 different courses during the week. The programs were offered in Pincher Creek and area with support from the school and local businesses and citizens.

Teacher Steve Giddings with cardboard Hawk design in background

Even those who were not in welding were excited about that class's project.  "It is a metal sculpture for the school," explained teacher Steve Giddings, who is in his second year teaching in Matthew Halton. He's been a teacher for close to two decades.  The sculpture being created by his fabrication and welding  students is a stylized Hawk, the school's symbol of pride. "We came up with a design for the hawk, then we drew it and cut out a pattern of it. From that pattern we measured every length. Then we cut it out of flat and bent it into shape, and we are going to weld it all together tomorrow. Hopefully we will have everything bent today," he explained on Wednesday.

Work in progress: Hawk sculpture

The class includes 18 students, a mixture of grades 7 through 12. The students had to take the project from a concept piece through to completion in the following phases: Concept, Design, Cutting, Bending, Jigging, Welding, Paint, Sanding, and Detailing. The students had to create the jigs, as this was a custom piece.

Jade Crowshoe arc welding

"It's fun," said Abi Cryderman who was the only girl in welding and fabrication. "I wanted to learn how to weld, and how to use metals, and see what it was like, so I thought I might as well choose it. I like designing stuff, and I designed the hawk."

Ben Riviere grinding

"I did this for the Calgary Zoo, about 10 years ago," explained Giddings. "I did about 7 or 8 panels," He created exotic animals for the zoo walls including an elephant and a zebra. "It (the present project) was based on that design, I used that as an idea, to do this with ribbons of metal, rather than just cutting it out of a sheet." Having done the panels for the zoo, he knew how to break down the steps and  also the number of techniques the students would learn from the project. The students were no-nonsense in the shop, and worked well as a team. "The first two days they surpassed their goals. Today, we are a little behind."

Once completed the sculpture promises to be a unique and beautiful representation of the spirit of  Matthew Halton High School.

Related stories:
Experiential Learning Week: Cosmetology
Experiential Learning Week: Pre-employment training

Experiential Learning Week: Lego robot races

Stories from last year's Experiential Learning Week:

Halton School Experiential week: Boxcar Mechanics

Halton School Experiential Week: Construction project

Experiential Week wrap up
Experiential week volunteer supper held at Matthew Halton School

More Experiential Learning Week stories to come.