Alpine High welders are certified

Eight students received special recognition for becoming certified welders, receiving cards bearing their pictures. The students are Clayton Sargent, Tootie Jimenez, Bobby Jimenez, Clayton King, Julian Torres, Andrew Barragan, Richard Savery and Jeremy Hartnett.

Over the course of two years, the welding program and laboratory at Alpine High School has seen some major changes to afford students the opportunity to become certified through rigid standards set by codes, specifications and procedures.

In order to become a certified welder, one must fully understand the codes, specifications and procedures that have to be mastered.

The students' cards represent their hard work in obtaining a level of distinction among the welding industry.

These certification cards are "transferable" credentials that can be taken wherever the students go. The credentials remain valid as long as the welder submits certification maintenance forms every six months. As long as the welder can verify that he or she is still performing the same welding as originally tested, certification remains in effect for life.

The students were tested on performance-based procedures that tested weldments used in structural steel fabrication by using a visual and destructive test. These weldments were tested to rigid standards according to code specifications. All weldments were required to show a neat workman-like appearance, the root of the weldments fully fused along the entire length of the weld and the profile of the cap blended in smoothly with the parent material significantly free from imperfections.

Welding instructor Jim Burnett said the hamburger supper was a great success due to the efforts of the parents of the welding students, including John and MonaLisa Jimenez, Kathy Sargent, Leticia Valenzuela, Celina Barragan, Virginia Sandoval, Frances Garcia and Alan King. He said a special thanks goes to Magoo's for donating the hamburger meat and Mark Scott for the additional mesquite wood.