Top high school welders compete

On Friday, April 28, 2023, Cleveland Community College held its second annual welding competition.

The competition featured the top four welders from Burns, Crest, Kings Mountain and Shelby high schools. This year’s group of competitors included four female students and one hearing-impaired student. Competitors were given specifications to perform specific types of welds and had 2-1/2 hours to complete the challenge.

Judges Curtis Rippy from Maco, Inc. and Corey Dubesko from IMA examined each competitor’s welds. Using a set of criteria based on industry standards, they selected the top welder from each school and the top three overall winners.

The overall winners were: first-place Jackson Pence, second-place Madison Lemmons and thirdplace MacKenzie Canipe.

First and second place each received a prize pack with a large tool bag, welding helmet and weld- ing gloves; the third-place winner received a helmet and gloves. These prizes and lunch were provided by the event sponsor AndyOxy. In addition to the prize pack, the first-place winner was presented with a hand-crafted belt buckle made by CCC instructor Michael Beatty.

The top competitors from each school were: Burns: MacKenzie Canipe, Crest- Jackson Pence; Kings Mountain: Adam Harrelson, and Shelby- Jaydan Tate. They received a $750 scholarship to attend CCC’s welding program.

The scholarship for the top Crest winner was provided by the Michael David Scott Parsons Endowed Scholarship fund. Established by Parsons’ family and friends in his memory, the scholarship is awarded annually to a student enrolled in any vocational diploma program, with preference given to students in the welding program and students demonstrating financial need.

The scholarship for Shelby’s top finisher was provided by The Gabe DiBruno Memorial Welding Scholarship. This endowed scholarship was established in memory of Gabe DiBruno, who was the top finisher from Shelby High School in last year’s competition. This scholarship is awarded annually to a Shelby High School welding student.

All sixteen competitors received a welding helmet provided by Cleveland County Schools.

Competitors from each high school were:

Burns: MacKenzie Canipe, Audrianna Clemmer, Drake Freeman, Bo Westbrook

Crest: Dillon Kirby, Madison Lemmons, Jackson Pence, Drew Theis

Kings Mountain: Canyon Evans, Justice Fussell, Adam Harrelson, Brianna Harrelson Shelby: Justin Franklin, Tucker Ive, Dan Martinez, Jaydan Tate .

Gardner-Webb Spring Commencement programs on May 4-5 will recognize over 500 graduates

Former N.C. Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker is Speaker for All University Programsw on Thursday, May 4 College and School Recognition Events Held on Friday, May 5

Gardner-Webb University academic officials are pleased to announce over 500 students will receive degrees during spring commencement exercises held on May 4 and 5. Students will earn associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from a variety of university programs.

The All University Commencement on May 4 will be held at 7 p.m. in Spangler Stadium. The program will include speeches from Gardner-Webb University President Dr. William M. Downs and President of the Student Government Association, Blake Elizalde. Greetings will be offered by Board of Trustees Chair Gary Smith.

The commencement speaker is former N.C. Secretary of Commerce, Sharon Decker, who now serves as the president of Carolina Operations at Tryon Equestrian Partners in Mill Spring, N.C. She started her career at Duke Energy Corp. in 1979, and during her 17 years there, Decker made history by becoming the company’s youngest and first female vice president. Decker came to Tryon in 2015 as chief operating officer and vice president and was named president in 2020.

Prior to Tryon, Decker was appointed Secretary of Commerce by Gov. Pat McCrory and served in that capacity for two years.

Decker and her husband, Bob, have a long history with Gardner-Webb. He is a 1975 alumnus, and she has studied in the School of Divinity. Her father-in-law, the late Robert Decker, was recognized as a GWU professor emeritus of music.

During the ceremony, awards will be presented to recognize students’ achievements: the Gardner-Webb Online Scholastic Award, Senior Scholastic Achievement Award, and the Most Outstanding Graduate Awards. Doctoral graduates will receive their hoods. After the program, the celebration will continue with a fireworks display.

On May 5, College and

School Recognition events will be held at various locations around campus. Closed Captioning will be provided for every ceremony.

The schedule follows:

• College of Business –9 a.m., Spangler Stadium.*

• College of Health Sciences – 9 a.m., Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center.

• School of Divinity –10 a.m., Dover Chapel

• College of Arts & Sciences – 10:30 a.m., Spangler Stadium.*

• College of Education – 10:30 a.m., Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center.

*rain plan location –Tucker Student Center.

The University encourages attendees to use the hashtag “#GWUGrad23” for social media posts including photos, tweets, and Facebook status updates. The commencement ceremonies will be live streamed on The University Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In the event of inclement weather for Thursday night’s event, the ceremony will move to the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center. Watch official university social channels for any updates.