Area students recognized at MTI welding competition
Hartsburg-Emden student among top ten

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[May 12, 2015]  EAST PEORIA - A number of area high school students received recognition and cash prizes for their welding skills at the annual Midwest Technical Institute High School Welding Competition Friday, May 1 at the school’s East Peoria campus.

The competition featured 85 participants from 16 area high schools and career centers, including Hartsburg-Emden High School, Hartsburg; Pekin High School, of Pekin; Monticello High School, of Monticello; Champaign-Central High School, of Champaign; Livingston Area Career Center, of Pontiac; Bloomington Normal-West High School, of Bloomington; and Knoxville High School, of Knoxville.

Students were tested on a wide range of welding skills and theories, including live welding challenges as well as classroom-based testing. Ten students in two separate categories, or “flights,” were recognized for their work with the first place winners receiving cash prizes of $500 – second and third place winners received $250 and $100, respectively, and the top ten finalists were awarded commemorative medals for their efforts.


Flight A Top Ten

The first place honors in Flight A went to Kendall Gorden of Livingston Area Career Center (LACC), and Quintin Whitehouse, of Cuba High School, took the top honors in Flight B. Second and third place winners in Flight A were awarded to Trenton Barker, of Knoxville High School, and Ryan Shoemaker, also of LACC, while Stuart Chestney and Jordan Campbell, both of Normal-West High School, placed second and third respectively in Flight B.
 


Flight B Top Ten

Finishing in the top ten in the Flight B was Kolton Johner from Hartsburg-Emden High School.

Established in 2007, the competition offers high school students more than an opportunity to showcase their welding talents. Participants also had the chance to tour the East Peoria campus, meet with faculty and staff and receive valuable information on how to turn their passion into a lifelong, lucrative career.

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MTI’s Director of High School Development Eric Gleason believes the competition provides students with a well-rounded look at the skills and work ethic required to be a professional welder.

“The weld competition is designed to allow area high school students to not only showcase their skillset, but also to get a feel for the MTI environment and experience welding at the next level.”

The East Peoria campus offers MTI’s Journeyman Welder I and II Program to train students for employment as professional welders in as little as seven months.



For more information on the welding competition, contact the East Peoria campus at (309) 427-2750. For interview requests and other media inquiries, contact MTI’s Director of Marketing at Stacey Wierman at (309) 427-2750, ext. 1228.

[Stacey Wierman, Midwest Technical Institute]

About Midwest Technical Institute
Midwest Technical Institute offers hands-on training in a number of mechanical trade and allied health career fields to help students succeed as a member of today’s rapidly-changing workforce. MTI, along with its sister school, Delta Technical College, operates seven campuses across the Midwest and Mississippi Delta regions. For more information, visit www.midwesttech.edu.

 

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