Hypertherm announces 2019 Spark Something Great educational grant winners

2019 - Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, is excited to announce recipients of its 2019 Spark Something Great educational grant. The grant program, now in its fifth year, is designed to place the latest plasma technology into schools so the next generation of metalworkers can train on the equipment they will find once entering the workforce.

2019 grant recipients were selected from a record pool of 170 applicants representing high schools, vocational schools, and colleges from throughout the United States and Canada. This year, in response to increased need, Hypertherm expanded the number of grants from 10 to 12. Each of the 12 winning schools will receive a Hypertherm Powermax45^® XP plasma system, Hypertherm’s AWS SENSE approved “Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice” curriculum kit, and in-person training from a Hypertherm industrial cutting expert. 2019 recipients are as follows.

• Bristow High School - Bristow, OK
• Dickinson High School - Dickinson, TX
• Dover Bay Secondary School - Nanaimo, BC
• Eldon Career Center - Eldon, MO
• Granville Central High School - Stem, NC
• Harris County High School - Hamilton, GA
• Hinds Career Center - Elwood, IN
• Mason High School - Okemah, OK
• Morgan County Career & Technical Center - Wartburg, TN
• Northmor High School - Galion, OH
• OKAW Area Vocational Center - Vandalia, IL
• Weld Like A Girl - Yuma, AZ

“Increasing enrollment coupled with budget cuts mean schools are tasked with teaching greater numbers of students with fewer tools,” said Betsy Van Duyne, who manages Hypertherm’s educational program. “Many schools have no plasma systems at all, and many others are using systems that are 15 to 20 years old and in very bad shape. We believe the versatility of our Powermax45 XP makes it a perfect choice for schools allowing students to cut, gouge, and mark with either a hand or a machine torch.”

Hypertherm also supports schools by offering educational discounts to teachers and students, and by making its plasma curriculum available for free download. To date, teachers from more than 2,100 schools have acquired the lesson plans helping standardize the teaching of plasma cutting to thousands of students. Hypertherm also offers its ProNest^® for Education program which places its ProNest CAD/CAM nesting software in schools. Since launching that program three years ago, Hypertherm has donated 52 ProNest packages valued at $145,000.