Western Welding Academy’s Blue Collar Tour stops by Poplar Springs High School

The 2024 Blue Collar Tour made a stop at Poplar Springs High School last month putting on several welding demonstrations as well as handing out thou- sands of dollars in scholarships. The Blue Collar Tour is a part of the Western Welding Academy. The trade school out of Gillette, Wyoming tours the country through the Blue Collar Tour to teach high school youth about the importance of trade jobs and the financial security that comes with those types of jobs.

Stopping by Poplar Springs High School on February 13, the small school was able to get on the Academy’s radar when one of its students convinced his teacher to apply for the once in a lifetime opportunity. Poplar Springs junior Brayson Blanton had viewed the Welding Academy’s Tiktok and seen where the school was planning its 2024 Blue Collar Tour. Asking his teacher Amy Chestnut to fill out the application it wasn’t until the week of Poplar Springs homecoming that the school learned it had been selected as a tour stop.

The tour set up in the “old gym” on the Poplar Springs campus. Several booths lined with tools and information on blue collar jobs as well as prizes were set up. An area for demonstrations was also created with several welding demonstrations done throughout the day. Students also had the opportunity to weld and learn about other blue collar jobs available in the United States.

As the day came to an end four students were presented with scholarships to the Western Welding Academy totaling over $11,000. Those students were Preston Dillard, Ashton Watson, Brayson Blanton, and Carter McKinley. Each young man sat down with The Graceville News for a quick interview on the experience and their future plans.

Brayson Blanton is a junior at Poplar Springs High School. He commented that the Blue Collar Tour “was a great experience for me to meet new people” and noted that he had a lot of fun. His favorite part was helping with the welding demonstrations and he couldn’t believe when he heard his name called for a $5,000 scholarship. He went on to add that he has always had an interest in welding and plans to become a welder or get into HVAC and electrical work.The son of Jason and Amanda Blanton, Brayson finished that he truly enjoyed the event and “the best was the giveaways because everyone loved that.”

Preston Dillard is a senior at Poplar Springs. He commented, “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to do something like that because around here you don’t get that kind of chance.” His favorite part of the Blue Collar Tour was the TIG welding competition where he won a welding hood. When he learned about receiving the scholarship, Dillard commented he felt “ecstatic, probably one of the happiest moments of my life”. The son of Michael Dillard and Joli Campbell Dillard, Preston continued that he was extremely grateful for the opportunity because, “It was something that was just introduced to me. My plan was to go into the military, but it opened my eyes to a field I didn’t know I was good at.”

Carter McKinley is a junior at Poplar Springs and commented how thankful he was for the Blue Collar Tour stopping by stating, “I loved it, it was a nice experience.” He continued that the TIG welding portion of the program was his favorite because “it was the first time I ever got to experience TIG welding.” When asked how he felt about receiving the Welding Academy scholarship he commented, “I cried”. The son of Carmen Bockrath and Vincent Barrios, Carter finished that he was open to welding because “my dad was a welder as well” but plans to go into the military after high school.

Ashton Watson is a freshman at Poplar Springs High School. He commented that he was thankful for the opportunity to have the Blue Collar Tour come to his school. His favorite part of the program was “getting to weld and watching the demonstrations.” He continued that he was “really ecstatic” about getting the scholarship to the Welding Academy. The son of Travis and Marcey Watson, Ashton’s future plans are to go into the welding sector.

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