Hands-On Welding Program Anchors STA’s Expanding Career Pathways

Photos Courtesy of Lillian Chadwick '26

On a typical Tuesday afternoon, sparks fly quietly in the STEM Learning Lab at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Bent over metal plates, students focus intently, adjusting their technique, watching closely as each movement produces an immediate result. It is not a typical classroom, and that is exactly the point.

What began just over a year ago as a small after-school welding club has quickly grown into one of the school’s most impactful hands-on learning opportunities, giving students a chance to explore both STEM pathways and skilled trades in a real-world setting.

Launched in January 2025, the program is taught by James “Wes” Warden, a welding professional at Frazier Industrial Co., which also donated the industrial-grade equipment used by students. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Warden leads sessions that now include both introductory and advanced tracks, reflecting the program’s rapid growth. 

The idea behind the program was simple: give students access to experiences they would not typically find in a traditional high school setting, and allow them to discover new interests before making decisions about their futures.

“This is about giving students exposure,” STA President Kevin Sacco said. “We want them to explore what they enjoy and where their strengths are, whether that leads to a STEM degree, a trade, or a combination of both.” 

For Christopher Gutauskas, a junior, honors student and member of the baseball team, that exposure started with a simple announcement.

“It was pretty much out of the blue,” Gutauskas said. “After Mass, they said we were going to have a welding club, and I thought, we’ve never done that before, so I might as well try it.” 

What began as curiosity quickly became something more. Gutauskas found a personal connection through his grandfather, who worked in oil refineries managing welders, and a growing interest in the hands-on nature of the work.

“With welding, whatever technique you use really affects the outcome, and you can see it almost immediately,” he said. 

That immediate feedback, paired with instruction from someone actively working in the field, changed how he saw his own abilities.

“It made me think my abilities were a lot higher than I thought. It was a big confidence boost,” he said. 

Under Warden’s guidance, Gutauskas progressed quickly, ultimately earning a welding qualification record, a credential that can provide a meaningful advantage in the workforce.

“There’s a difference between someone who can just tell you what to do and someone who can show you and explain it,” he said. “When he demonstrated it, it made a lot more sense.” 

While Gutauskas still plans to pursue college and continue playing baseball, he now sees welding as both a practical skill and a potential long-term opportunity.

“I definitely want to have this as a backup skill,” he said. “Having this under my belt is an asset.” 

More importantly, he said, the experience opened his eyes to possibilities he had not previously considered.

“If I didn’t try something like this, I probably wouldn’t have thought about it as a career path,” he said. 

That kind of early discovery is exactly what school leaders are aiming to replicate on a larger scale.

Beginning in fall 2026, St. Thomas Aquinas will significantly expand its career-driven academic pathways, introducing structured programs in business, clinical health sciences, law, engineering, education and behavioral sciences, and nursing.

The goal is to give students the opportunity to explore potential careers earlier, helping them move beyond the pressure of deciding on a college major without real-world context. By aligning high school experiences with future career pathways, administrators say students can make more informed decisions about their college and professional journeys. Programs like welding serve as a model for what that exploration can look like. Instead of asking students to define their future in abstract terms, the school is creating opportunities for them to experience it firsthand.

“We are building opportunities for students to discover what they enjoy before they get to college,” Kevin Sacco said. “That clarity helps them move forward with confidence, while also saving time and money by allowing them to make more informed decisions about their college path and future career.”

Back in the lab, the work continues, steady and focused. For students like Gutauskas, what started as a spark of curiosity has become something far more lasting: a skill, a confidence, and a clearer sense of what comes next.

To learn more about St. Thomas Aquinas High School’s Career-Driven Academic Pathways in business, clinical health sciences, law, engineering, education and behavioral sciences, and nursing, visit www.stahs.net/visit to schedule a tour or experience a day on campus as a student.