Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) students from Bev Facey Community High and Ardrossan Junior Senior High showcased incredible welding skills, with one Bev Facey team taking first place at the seventh annual Wicked Welding Competition. Hosted by the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC), the competition saw teams of four from local senior high schools create Halloween-themed sculptures at the organization's testing centre in Edmonton.
Bev Facey team one, from left to right: Kyn Mccoy, Tom Suffern, Alanna Rochette, Daxton Parent and Logan McEwen proudly holding their championship prize.
The winning team from Bev Facey included students Alanna Rochette, Logan McEwen, Daxton Parent and Kyn McCoy - along with fabrication teacher Tom Suffern, who designed and built a skeletal version of the Headless Horseman. Bev Facey welding students aren't strangers to success, having also won the 2024 edition of the Wicked Welding Competition and placing high in the regional Skills Alberta welding competition over recent years.
"I'm really happy that we won, but the most important thing is that we had a great time and made the most of this opportunity," says Logan McEwen, a Grade 12 welding student at Bev Facey who was part of the team that won first place. "Being proud of your own creativity is the best part of this competition."
Additionally, Bev Facey is the only grade school in Alberta accredited by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) testing centre. The accreditation allows students to fast-track their welding career by proving their ability to an external body and gaining their first welding certification. The school offers the opportunity of CWB testing to all EIPS students at a reduced cost.
Congratulations to Bev Facey, Ardrossan and all the other teams that competed in the 2025 Wicked Welding Competition!
