28-04-2025
Students compete in welding competition at Grasso Tech in Groton
GROTON, Conn. (WTNH) — High schools compete in all sorts of things, even, as it turns out, competitive welding.
They competed to see who did it the best. Two dozen students from five different high schools went helmet to helmet at Ella Grasso Tech in Groton.
The contest encourages a skill that is badly needed, especially in southeastern Connecticut.
As the sparks flew, it was hard to believe the contestants were still in high school, because they seemed to have already mastered their craft of welding.
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'It's entertaining, I guess. It's really fun,' said Matthew Murray, a junior at Cheney Tech. 'It's a good field to get in. It's a good field to do for the rest of your life, I think.'
Some have already been doing this for years.
'My grandpa had a welder at his house, and I'd go over and just talk to him and we'd hang out,' explained Cheney Tech student Jared Minick. 'One day, he called me out to the garage we were going to go weld something and I just really liked it.'
Project MFG holds competitions like this all over the country to encourage students to get into industrial trades. Host Ella Grasso Tech is one of just a couple of technical high schools in Connecticut that offers a full-on welding program, and that is no accident. Groton is known for submarines, and good welders are needed to maintain those vessels.
'We send a great many students to E.B. as welders, as drafters, as just general tradesmen,' said Grasso Tech Dean of Students Jonathan Grossman.
Electric Boat helped sponsor the competition.
'This administration, and the previous administration, were both serious about it,' said Electric Boat President Mark Rayha about the demand for submarines. 'It's moving to be even more serious. You're going to hear more about that soon, but we need more ships, and we need you to build them.'
Whether it's making subs, cars or anything else, welding skills are very much in demand.
'There's always going to be work in welding, is what I've learned,' said Murray.
The two top scorers from this state competition go on to compete at nationals in early June.
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