La Mirada High School
Welding
In its third year, the Skilled Trades Summers program brings together a high-performing team of instructors – led by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence Winner, Brent Tuttle – and student mentors.
Upper-class high school students train in advanced welding skills and leadership and then become instructors and mentors to younger high school and middle school students teaching high-quality welding skills – using both “hands-on” and virtual welding tools.
This summer students built barbeques, skateboards, customized cutting boards, and personalized lamps.
La Mirada High School
Middle and High School Students Learn Welding and Skilled Trades Fundamentals
Program Highlights
Program Snapshot
- Service Area: La Mirada
- Skilled Trade: Welding
- 2025 Enrollment: 113
- Program Length:
- Advanced High School – four weeks, 60 hours
- Beginner High School – two weeks, 40 hours
- Mobile Training – 2 day workshop
Unique Program Components
- This innovative welding program is led by Mr. Brent Tuttle, a 2020 winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.
- Upper-class high school students train in advanced welding skills and leadership and then become instructors and mentors to the beginner students.
- Students design, build and take home amazingly handcrafted projects such as barbeques, skateboards, cutting boards, and personalized lamps and use innovative equipment such as virtual welders.
- Mobile training workshops serve as a pipeline feeder to the skilled trades pathways offered at LMHS where students and their families complete hands-on projects.
About La Mirada High School
Comprehensive PUBLIC High School
La Mirada High School is part of the La Mirada-Norwalk Unified High School District. LMHS has a population of over 1,700 students and offers nine different Career Technical Education pathways during the school year including Welding & Engineering. La Mirada High School has been a summer program partner since 2022.
Video:
La Mirada High School
“It gives the students an opportunity to explore and have an all-day experience versus an hour-long experience here and there. Through skilled trades summers, they are getting that experience of being on a site, six hours a day, and it’s just welding,”
Brent Tuttle, welding teacher, La Mirada High School and 2020 winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence