All’s Weld That Ends Weld | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Interlachen Junior-Senior High student Christian Figueroa undergoes Metal Inert Gas hard wire welding Wednesday morning.
DeRossett uses Tungsten Inertia Gas welding on a piece of metal.
Interlachen Junior-Senior High welding instructor Tad DeLoach, left, speaks to Blake DeRossett, center, and Christian Figueroa on the shop floor Wednesday morning.
Positively Putnam FL

In 15 booths at Interlachen Junior-Senior High School, students flip on their welding hoods and let the sparks fly as they seek industry certifications and learn a trade.

Instructor Tad DeLoach oversees more than 170 students at different skill levels, with four fundamentals classes and one capstone class. Students can potentially take the classes all four years in school, but they must get a perfect score on a written safety exam in a classroom setting before they head to the shop floor.

“I want to send them home the same way they came to school,” DeLoach said. “It was the same thing when I was in the workforce.”

DeLoach said seniors like Michael Slimak, Blake DeRossett and Christian Figueroa can help inexperienced students. The three recently achieved flux core certifications and have work experience in the field.

“I let students teach students from the beginning. … I think it’s better if he shows you a bit of his technique or he shows you a bit of his technique,” DeLoach said, gesturing to two students. “This class is more than teaching them how to run a bead. It’s leadership, communication, dependability. I hold these guys to a high standard.”

DeRossett said his favorite part of the course is the competition. He said the rigorous nature of DeLoach’s class only helps when looking for jobs in the field.

“You’ve just got to learn to get better at it,” DeRossett said. “You’ve got to practice. With anything, you’ve got to practice.”

Slimak joined the class a little later in the program but said he’s trying for a second certification this school year. The fun from welding comes from testing yourself, he said.

“It’s cool to see how clean you can make it look and how good you can get,” Slimak said.

Figueroa is looking for technical colleges to further his career. He said the program has given him a clear path for a career.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do before I joined this program,” he said.

DeLoach said some of his students are at the level of pointing out the quality of welding work when they see it outside of school.

“We do that now,” Figueroa said.

“I like to hear that,” DeLoach replied. “It’s rewarding to hear I’ve instilled what a good or bad weld looks like.”

DeLoach is an Interlachen High graduate and has about 20 years of welding experience. He aims to expand the welding program and said it’s fulfilling being an instructor and share his knowledge.

“I look forward to coming here, passing my skills on from over the years to these guys coming up,” DeLoach said. “One day, these guys will be paying my Social Security, so I want to make sure I get them trained right.”