Roane-Jackson Technical Center student wins top prize in welding sculpture at West Virginia SkillsUSA

When local teen Rayne Thompson, Roane-Jackson Technical Center student and senior at Ripley High School, decided to enter a welded sculpture piece into the West Virginia SkillsUSA competition, she chose an unusual design in the form of a wedding cake. The inspiration combined two of her passions, welding and cake decorating. Her education in both areas came in part from a father-son pair of teachers, one of whom taught a welding class, the other taught a culinary arts class. Thompson's first-place win qualifies her to compete in the national event this summer.

Thompson's achievement was covered in an article published by Jackson Newspapers, in which she explained how her educational journey led her to develop the unique set of skills that earned her the gold medal. A family passion for cake baking and decoration gave Thompson a foundation to build on, and instruction from a pair of teachers, who happen to be father and son, built on her interests. 

As an active participant in Future Farmers of America, Thompson enrolled in a fundamentals of agriculture mechanics course in her sophomore year taught by Craig Canterbury. The younger Caterbury recognized her potential, encouraging her to develop her welding skills. Knowing her interest in cake decorating, Thompson told Jackson Newspapers of her welding teacher, "He knew my interest in baking too and he'd say, 'It's just like decorating a cake, only with metal'."

The following year, Thompson took a culinary arts course with Clarence Canterbury, father of Craig Canterbury. She described her experience in the elder Canterbury's class, saying, "Mr. Clarence Canterbury was my culinary arts instructor in my junior year. As part of his ProStart program, I learned to enhance my baking skills. Knowing my connection to his son, he'd say, 'It's just like welding but with icing'."

Thompson told Jackson Newspapers that she had hoped to enter the West Virginia SkillsUSA competition in 2020, in part because Clarence Canterbury was retiring that year, but the competition was canceled due to COVID-19. This year, Thompson says she wanted to honor both of her former teachers by combining her two loves, baking and welding. That's how she settled on her design idea, a welded sculpture resembling a multi tiered wedding cake, including intricate flower design elements. As Thompson describes it, "My welding instructor, Robert Greene, thought I was a little crazy when I told him I wanted to make a wedding cake."

The design and building of the sculpture presented many challenges, Thompson admits. But she was able to experiment with a variety of techniques, with a finished product that impressed the judges. Thompson describes the feedback she received, saying, "One of them said that in 15 years of judging, he had never seen a wedding cake welding design. They were stunned by the five different welding and cutting techniques I used."

Thompson is looking to the future now. She will progress to the national SkillsUSA competition in June. She will be attending Pierpont Career Technical College in the fall for the baking and pastry arts program. Additionally, Thompson says, "I also plan to look for an apprenticeship in welding."