CWA Foundation gala celebrates welding educators

David Rogalsky (cente) receives his Exceptional Educators Award from CWB Group Executive Director Dan Tadic and CWA Foundation Executive Director Deborah Mates.

David Rogalsky (cente) receives his Exceptional Educators Award from CWB Group Executive Director Dan Tadic and CWA Foundation Executive Director Deborah Mates.

The Canadian Welding Association Foundation (CWA Foundation) held its annual Gala on Oct. 5 as part of the CanWeld Conference and Expo in Edmonton. Two welding educators were presented with awards during the gala. The evening also included a celebration of the work accomplished by the foundation this past year.

The CWA Foundation fully funded 11 secondary and post-secondary welding educators, along with 23 welding students from all corners of the country, and 17 from the University of Alberta, to attend the CanWeld Conference and Expo. All were present for the gala evening.

During this year’s gala, there were two new awards, the Exceptional Educator’s Award for both a secondary and post-secondary welding instructor.

“Welding educators do much for their students and we wanted to recognize them for their hard work and dedication,” said Deborah Mates, executive director of the Foundation. “These awards are for exceptional teachers, and every single welding educator is truly exceptional.”

David Rogalsky, professor, welding engineering technology, at Northern College in Kirkland Lake, Ont., was the post-secondary Exceptional Educator Award recipient.

“This was completely unexpected. It’s truly an honour,” said Rogalsky. “There are so many great welding educators out there, and to be considered in that circle is very humbling. I want to thank everyone who nominated me and the CWA Foundation for their commitment to the welding industry.”

Dayton Block, High School welding educator at St. Joseph High School in Edmonton was the secondary Exceptional Educator Award winner.

“This award is for the students, they bring the best out of me every day I go into the shop,” said Block. “They’re the ones who motivate me. I want to thank the CWA Foundation for this award and everything they have done for the students at St. Joseph High School, it really means a lot.”

The recipients of the CWA Foundation’s Exceptional Educator’s Award received $1,500 each towards professional development.

Colin Murphy accepts the High A. Krentz Award.

Colin Murphy accepts the High A. Krentz Award.

Hugh A. Krentz Award

The Hugh A. Krentz Student Award was also presented that evening to Colin Murphy, a welding engineering technology student at the College of the North Atlantic. This is a national award established in 2015 to honour the contributions of Mr. Krentz as a member of the CWB Group Board of Directors from 1979 to 2010, and his passion and leadership related to the development and use of construction standards and their resulting contribution to protecting the safety of the public. In addition to his service on the CWB Group Board, Mr. Krentz also served as president of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction from 1978 to 2001 and as the chairman of the Standards Council of Canada from 2001 to 2011.

The award is given to a Canadian student enrolled in their final year of study in a two- or three-year welding engineering technology or engineering undergraduate program who shows exemplary academic excellence, a demonstrated passion for the welding industry, and a passion for standardization and public safety.

Educational Outreach

One of the educators who had been sponsored to attend the event, John Dabrowski, addressed the audience and explained how the CWA Foundation had helped him develop his Ontario school’s welding program. He called it his “CWA Foundation 360 Degrees” speech, “because it’s not just money the Foundation supplies.”

Four years ago, Dabrowski had a chance to take his class to the CWB Group headquarters to get hands-on experience on a variety of welding equipment. He left there with t-shirts and beanies for all of his students, and 14 rolls of welding wire.

Dabrowski went back to his school where he had 14 different welding machines, 14 different tips, 14 different diffusers, which meant a massive parts list.

John Dabrowski explains to attendees how the CWA Foundation has helped him properly develop his high school's welding program.

John Dabrowski explains to attendees how the CWA Foundation has helped him properly develop his high school's welding program.

“I called Deborah Mates and said, ‘could you please help me standardize my whips? I cannot order this many parts,’” said Dabrowski. “And she said, ‘yes, send me the costs.’ And I replaced all the whips on my machines. The CWA Foundation is not just about money for your classrooms. Everyone at the Foundation is approachable and has helped me out.”

That is just one example of how the Foundation has supported Dabrowski and his fellow educators. Many attend a fully-funded educators conference every year, where they can network and learn from each other.

Last year, the Foundation supplied more than 40 high schools with new equipment. Deborah Mates noted that the Foundation hopes to increase its goal of fundraising to allow annual disbursements of $5 million by 2020. Last year, support for post-secondary students through the Foundation’s awards program resulted in 58 $2,500 awards. This year, as many as 80 students will be supported.

To find out how you can get involved with the Foundation, visit www.cwa-foundation.org.