There are so many amazing new teachers this year, but one that really sticks out is Mr. Chapparo. We wanted to know how long he has been teaching and Mr. Chapparo said “10 weeks.” This is Mr. Chapparo’s first year teaching and he commented, “It’s been pretty okay so far.” Before he became a teacher, he was a welder. We asked him, “What was your welding job before teaching?” and he replied, “I was a structural and pipe welder. It was mostly outside work and not in an office.” He got into welding because his dad was a welder and taught him about it. “What made you want to teach welding?'' “It’s an important skill to have and a lot of kids would benefit from learning that skill and there is a huge need for welders right now,” Mr. Chapparo added. In that class, students can make amazing projects and must be very interesting to see what students produce; Mr. Chapparo mentioned, “We're still learning right now and haven’t made much. My favorite part right now is probably watching them improve and work hard.” 

Welding is such a fun, amazing class that lots of high school students will enjoy. This is the second welding program in the district and students from other DCSD schools will be able to take this class in the future. We asked some students in Mr. Chapparo’s class, what are you making right now? Liam Hooks (11) is making a sword and Jaxon Bakker (11) is making a metal house. We also asked them what they liked about the class. Liam said, “The teacher and getting to play with fire will create different things”. Jaxon mentioned, “I like it because it is not boring. Welding is a fun hobby to know and can be used later on in my life.”

We think that everyone should take welding and having Mr. Chapparo as a teacher will make it fun and enjoyable!