Student welders, woodworkers to showcase talents at Kids Entrepreneur Day

Welding students in Kelly New’s class at Lawton High School (LHS) hope to impress attendees at Lawton Farmers Market on Saturday with their creativity and welding skills.

The first-year students have been busy making snowmen, reindeer, flowers and pumpkins, among other items, out of horseshoes to show at Kids Entrepreneur Day. The event is a way to offer young entrepreneurs K-12 the opportunity to gain first-hand experience by selling their products.

“They show a lot of creativity,” New said of the projects. New said he has given students, who never welded before this semester, the freedom to come up with their own designs and they have to figure out how to execute them.

One such project is making a burn pit out of bus wheel rims. New said one student came up with the idea after several rims were donated to the class. The student, JR Gibson, a sophomore, researched the project and is solving the problem of how to make the pit light enough to carry.

“We didn’t know what to do with them,” Gibson said. “I did a lot of research and got some ideas. It’s going to be really heavy to build. I’m trying to make it as light as possible. The less weight, the easier it will be to move around.”

This is the first time New’s students have participated in Kids Entrepreneur Day. New said the students usually take their projects home or sell them to people in the school district. Displaying their wares is just another part of learning about welding, New said.

“This class is about making a living. Part of that is marketing the product and the quality of work you do,” New said.

Gibson agreed.

“It’s a way of learning,” Gibson said. “You learn how to make something and sell it.”

Walter Torralba agreed with Gibson and New. He made a wine bottle holder and a salt and pepper shaker holder.

“I wanted to make something people could use,” he said.

The welding students will be joined by Eisenhower Middle School woodworking students in the Technology Student Association (TSA) who are making Christmas ornaments, key chains and earrings. The 10 students are using a computer program and laser engraver to do most of the work. The students choose the design they want and the laser engraver does the rest. Once the items are engraved, the students finish them by adding a loop of string to the ornaments.

This is also the first time for woodworking students to participate in Kids Entrepreneur Day.

“This gives them an idea of what it takes to run your own business,” said EMS woodworking teacher Ray Kimbrell. “The kids are very excited about it. The kids chose the items they want to make and went through the screenshots of designs.”

Woodworking student Samiya Wilson, seventh grade, is secretary for the Technology Student Association and chose to make a turkey ornament.

“I think it’s an amazing opportunity for us to make money and show what we do in TSA,” she said.

Fellow student Alayna Moore, seventh grade, agreed.

“I think it’s nice,” Moore said. “Not many students get to do it.”

Monies raised will go back to student program funds.

Lawton Farmers Market, 77 SW 4th Street, will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.