Hunter Snapp, one of the 2022 graduates from Big Sandy High School, received a certificate of recognition from the Montana State Department of Labor and Industry for completing a Welding and Machining Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Hunter has been working toward completing the program at Chauncey Terry's shop in Big Sandy for around a year.

Chauncey explains that he was approached about the program as a way to help students as they join apprenticeship programs and start trade school. He explained that students put in about an hour a day (one class period). The program comes with a number of benefits, including college credits. Mr. Terry went on to praise Hunter's progress, explaining that he had come a long way since he started in the shop. Hunter's attitude toward work has been good,and he is developing into a good welder. He also pointed out that welders are in particularly high demand, as are all of the trade type jobs. This makes these types of programs particularly important. Hunter was able to accumulate college credits, earn a wage, and help out at the shop. Chauncey's business has been open for a little over a year and has seen quite a bit of traffic.

Hunter's initial exposure to the program came through Mr. Taylor, the AG teacher at the High School. Hunter learned about the program at the beginning of the school year and opted to do it. He had been interested in welding as a career since his freshman year. "I've been looking at welding for a while, because it's always been fun and relaxing for me." Hunter went on to describe how the more hands on work was easier for him due to ADHD issues. He also explained that it was higher pressure for him to do well, because, "In school, if you screw up, 'Oh, it's fine.' Here? You can't screw up because it's work. You're working on other people's stuff. And metal is expensive.' When I asked him about the learning experience, he expressed a great deal of pride. "With this, I have learned more, you get better at it quicker. I noticed my welds from just five or six months ago, my welds went from being big and excessive..." to smaller and cleaner. He also explained how he'd learned to have a better feel for the work and important things to watch for when doing more difficult welds. Hunter plans on going to school for welding in the fall. Hunter suggested that the program would be ideal for anyone looking to go into the field: "If you're going to go into welding, it's kind of the best thing that you can do, because you get the on the job experience."

His mother, Amy Terry, expressed a great deal of pride in Hunter's hard work and accomplishment: "I am very proud of my son. He is not your typical academic student. He's more of a hands-on learner that does well in the trades. He has been

working with his uncle, Chauncey Terry, at his welding shop. And he was part of a Department of Labor pre-apprentice program this year. He received his award for that at graduation. This fall, he's going to go to Northern and do their welding certification, and go on to do great things." She explained that the program was a better fit for her son, who saw a definite purpose and long-term benefit from the welding program. That sort of thing tended to motivate him in ways that other aspects of schooling did not."