When Lebanon High School welding teacher Lindsay Whitcomb inherited the welding program this year, she inherited a program that has been on the brink of needing life support since long-time instructor Steve Steele retired four years ago.

Whitcomb is not only planning to breathe new life into the welding program, but hopes to make it self-sustaining along the way.

An agriculture teacher by training, she wasn't even thinking about teaching welding until LHS administrator Kim Masog called and offered her the job after Whitcomb's welding certifications were noticed on her substitute teacher application.

Her first priority has been emphasizing safety and then trying to modernize the shop's old equipment to current industry standards. The centerpiece of that effort is acquiring a C-N-C plasma cutter. The program has already raised $4,000 of the $15,000 cost.

The plasma cutter is computer controlled and can create steel art and do three-dimensional metal routing.

"It's the coolest piece of equipment," Whitcomb said.

And it can be be used to make revenue.

"It will allow us to generate products to sell, and allow us to complete services for people for a fee," Whitcomb said. "We want to generate marketable products, so we're not having to rely upon an unstable budget each year."

Whitcomb envisions making flatbed and utility trailers, among other projects. Her shop students already build items for the LHS Land Lab, where she teaches a horticulture class, at about a third of what purchasing them would cost.

Local businesses such as Linn Gear, Entek and City Suburban and Electric have supported the welding program with donations of time and equipment.

"'What can we do to help?' I hear that from every business person in the community I talk to," Whitcomb said. "They see the value in what we are doing here."

The welding program has 85 students spread over three classes, with the largest holding 34. Too many, she said, for the equipment that is available.

"Ideally the student load would be 18 to 20 per class," Whitcomb said. "As it stands now, I don't have enough equipment for everybody to be on a machine. That would be the big dream, to have more equipment."

Whitcomb has created a leadership component to the shop by pairing newer students with older, more experienced "supervisors."

"Being a supervisor allows the more advanced kids to hone their skills by teaching others," Whitcomb said. "Younger, less mature kids get to interact with older, more mature students. The growth in the kids' behavior and material is just phenomenal."

The Beyond LHS program allows juniors and seniors to take college courses at Linn-Benton Community College. Next year, the LHS welding programs will be matriculated with the college, meaning students can earn college credit for taking welding at the high school.

Whitcomb said high school vocational programs offer students who won't or can't go to college after graduation a chance to learn skills that they can take into the workplace.

"Not everyone is going to be a liberal arts major. Not everyone is going to have skill in writing," she said. "These kids have skills in different areas and their needs need to be addressed as well."