Marble Falls High School welding students build grills for Cottonwood Shores park
Senior welding students at Marble Falls High School built two barbecue pits this semester. The grills will be donated to and installed at Noah Thompson Park in Cottonwood Shores on March 13. Staff photo by Brigid Cooley
This semester, senior welding students at Marble Falls High School are giving back to the community by welding two barbecue pits for a Cottonwood Shores park. The class will help instructor Shawn Reed install the grills at Noah Thompson Park, 4131 Lakeview Drive, on Saturday, March 13.
Since beginning the project in January, students have planned, budgeted, and welded the pits under Reed’s supervision.
Reed serves on the Cottonwood Shores Parks and Recreation Committee. While working at Noah Thompson Park one day, he noticed one of the two grills was badly rusted and offered to have students in his senior-level welding class make two new ones.
“The welding or construction class is always looking for community projects that students can build,” Reed told DailyTrib.com in an email.
Reed said both charcoal grills are “typical park grills,” rectangular in shape and with adjustable grill height. The class added an additional grill lid to the design, which will help hold in heat. Materials for the project cost just under $500.
In addition to providing students with hands-on experience for future careers, the class has created bonds between Reed and his students.
“I’ve been with most of these kids for four years,” Reed said. “They are hard workers and have a great eye for detail.”
Alvaro Sital, 18, is one of the students working on the project. He has participated in Reed’s welding class since his freshman year and intends to pursue the trade as a career after graduation. He said planning projects in class is a great way to “learn about starting a business.”
Reed teaches both welding and construction at Marble Falls high school.