Suzette Lowe
Rayne Thompson, a Ripley High School senior, recently won a gold medal in welding sculpture at the West Virginia SkillsUSA competition.
There are a couple of factors that make this accomplishment unique for the Roane-Jackson Technical Center student.
The most obvious is Thompson’s gender. It is still rare for girls to take welding classes at the center.
“I only know of two other females taking welding at the technical center,” said Thompson. “I would love to see more women in the field.”
The second factor was her choice of subject.
“My welding instructor, Robert Greene, thought I was a little crazy when I told him I wanted to make a wedding cake,” Thomason said.