MUHS Welding Fabrication Team earns Bronze Medals at the SkillsUSA National Championships held in Kansas City, Missouri.   This year over 5,500 student competitors from every state and three territories attended to compete in 94 competitions in technical, skilled, and service based occupations. Among them was a group of 94 students from Arizona, 4 of them from Mingus Union High School. 

                Three of the Mingus students formed the Welding Fabrication Team consisting of John Stratz, Kyle Alexander, and Mason Hart. John Stratz and Kyle Alexander graduated this past May, Mason Hart will be returning next year as a senior to lead the team. Competitors in the Welding Fabrication competition received this year’s project criteria in early May. The criteria consists of the project for this year, a welding demonstration table, a list of the materials given, a list of the different welds required and a list of the tools provided. Taking most of the month of May to brainstorm, design, and finalize blueprints for the project the team built three practice tables in the weeks prior to the national championships. During the competition the teams had 6 and a half hours to build their table, while working they were judged by professionals from the welding industry on safety, team work, fabrication, welding ability, and their project blue prints turned in prior to the competition. The team members were also required to turn in a resume and complete a SkillsUSA knowledge and a welding knowledge test prior to their competition. Scoring above the average in all areas and receiving a bonus for efficient use of materials the team earned Bronze Medals in a competition with 22 other high school teams from around the country.

                                All four of the competitors from Mingus earned certificates from the National Skills Commission stating that during their competitions they met or exceeded the standards set by industry in their respective competition.