About 45 people gathered in the Soldotna High School commons last week to celebrate the latest group of students to complete a summer work program offered by the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. That program, which places students with disabilities in local businesses to gain supported work experience and professional development skills, served 25 students this year.
Sparks were flying last Wednesday morning at Soldotna High School, where junior Kevin Steger donned protective eyewear while applying a stick welder to a long strip of metal. As a flaming plume shot out of Steger’s workspace, flashes created by another student in a welding hood lit up the red plastic curtains sectioning off the area’s individual workspaces.