For Skagit Valley College Welding instructor Mary Kuebelbeck, the welding classroom provides her students with many unique opportunities to learn and apply their skills, beyond traditional welding projects and applications. Projects also include art and strong community connections.

In partnership with the City of Mount Vernon, Mary and the SVC Weld Club students created a large art piece for the Mount Vernon Library. The Fern Sculpture will be dedicated on Tuesday, August 14^th at 12:30 at the Mount Vernon Library. The public is invited to attend.

Fall classes at SVC start September 25. For information about SVC’s Welding program and other courses and programs, visit www.skagit.edu/getstarted .

Also this year, Mary and her students designed and built an 18’ long aluminum pontoon boat for Albertsons / Safeway that competed in this year’s Seafair Milk Carton race at Green Lake, with the Albertsons / Safeway crew winning the commercial division. The pontoon boat was made from 5356 and 6061 aluminum welded with 5356 wire and 4043 rod and it held approximately 200 half gallon milk cartons. This year marks 48th year for this event on Green Lake.