‘Sock Hop’ fundraiser

What: Gardiner Garden Club annual fundraiser dinner to support student scholarships

When: 6-9 p.m., Saturday, April 16

Where: Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road

Cost: $15

More info/purchase tickets: Visit gardinergardenclub.weebly.com

Sparks are flying at Sequim High School.

For the second year, the school’s welding class is collaborating with the Gardiner Garden Club to create metal elk sculptures intended to support student scholarships.

The project is “all positive,” Bill Seabolt, Sequim High School teacher and welding instructor, said.

“I really like when this type of project happens because not only do the kids get a chance to work with the public, but it gives them some real world experience,” he said.

The Gardiner Garden Club hosts an annual fundraiser dinner with a main goal to raise scholarship funds for Sequim High students. During this year’s event themed “Sock Hop” slated for Saturday, April 16, about a dozen large metal elk sculptures and 30 smaller, metal elk garden stakes built by Seabolt’s students will be up for grabs.

The hand-crafted elk sculptures are among a variety of silent auction items, in addition to a raffle for goods and services from local businesses, food and music, on the evening’s agenda, Lisa Cronin, Gardiner Garden Club fundraising chairman, said.

“Last year when I became the (fundraising) chairman I got an idea to have kids make something because it’s really important to me that when people donate that they have a connection to what they’re donating to,” Cronin said.

After reaching out to a handful of Sequim teachers, Cronin connected with Seabolt and his welding class to pilot the metal elk project. Building on experience, “this year’s design is phenomenal,” Cronin said.

“I think the best part for me is seeing how many kids are becoming more interested in welding and understanding that there are scholarships available to them,” she said.

As possible side benefits of the project, Cronin hopes to encourage students interested in pursuing a trade, like, but not limited to welding, as well as to better connect students with the adult and retirement community.

Despite their interests, “When I talk to the students I tell them that there’s always something available for them out there,” Cronin said. “This (project) is really to try to encourage the students to be tactful, have some hands-on experience and connect the community with the kids that they’re donating money for.”

Vocational-technical classes like welding focus on preparing students for a job by equipping them with applicable knowledge within a trade, Seabolt explained.

“I really like to teach the students real world values,” he said. “I think that’s what they need at this time in their life.”

Even if all his welding students don’t pursue welding post-high school, Seabolt believes by taking vocational classes and participating in public projects like with the Gardiner Garden Club, every student gains knowledge needed throughout life.

“There’s only one other girl working on the project, but we did a lot of the tracing and design of the elk,” welding student Miriel Cawyer said. “It’s been fun.”

Classmate Jake Sparks added, “It’s nice to know these are going to help other students as scholarships and I think the community really likes them.”

When working with his students Seabolt doesn’t think of it as “teaching so much, but more as bringing out their personal potential,” he said.

Both Seabolt and Cronin are hopeful the partnership between the school and club can continue and each has ideas of how the project could evolve, such as expanding on the design.

The number of scholarships the Gardiner Garden Club members are able to award varies, but they typically award scholarships to about six students, Cronin said. The scholarships given by the club are available to all Sequim High School students, but Cronin and her mother Lynda Day George Cronin, also award one $2,500 welding-specific scholarship in memory of Cronin’s father.

“Last year we gave our scholarship to a boy that had really no intention of going to college until he realized that there was a scholarship just for welding,” Cronin said.

The scholarship opportunity from Cronin and her mother specific to welding, Seabolt said, is a “really neat thing.”

“It’s one of the things that helps to keep this project going and growing,” he said.

The Gardiner Garden Club meets at 11:30 a.m., the second Thursday of every month from September-May to have a potluck lunch and program at the Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road.

For more information about the club, visit gardinergardenclub.weebly.com.

Reach Alana Linderoth at alinderoth@sequimgazette.com.