ESAB Awards Grant to Texas School District for National Welding Month

As part of April 2026’s National Welding Month, welding and cutting equipment firm ESAB has awarded a $5,000 grant to Princeton High School and Lovelady High School in northern Texas.

Part of the Princeton Independent School District, the two schools sport robust welding programs, ESAB says. The grant money comes as part of the company’s ESAB Future Fabricators Charlie Monschke Welding Education Grant, and also came with an equipment donation with retail value exceeding $6,000.

“We only have a limited number of working welding machines, so this grant will help us get more students under the hood instead of waiting for booth time,” says Pete Salazar, the welding instructor for Princeton ISD. “We work hard to prepare these kids for careers in the trades. The grant means a lot to our program. We truly appreciate ESAB’s support and everything they do for welding education.”

The grant will support both schools’ programs, and will attempt to solve part of the construction and welding industry’s youth employment issues.

Supporting the next generation

Started in 2024 to honor the late Charlie Monschke, a former resident of Denton, Texas himself, the grant supports high schools throughout all of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Throughout his life, Monschke became a strong supporter of high school welding and trade programs. He began working at Victor Equipment Co., now ESAB, in 1966. He died in 2023 after spending over 50 years working and welding under the ESAB umbrella.

“The annual Charlie Monschke Education Grant, along with ESAB’s Future Fabricators program, will carry forward Charlie’s enduring legacy by investing in the next generation of skilled welders,” says Purushothama “Purushi” Doddanna, senior director of NAM Equipment Operations at ESAB Denton.

The grant’s equipment donation included a Rogue EM 140 MIG welder, two Rogue EM 125 MIG welders, and a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster manual plasma cutter. Additionally, the donation included multiple pieces of PPE, including five Savage A50 LUX automatic helmets and a carton of ESAB 7018-1 Prime Stick electrodes.

“Commonly used in light fabrication and construction operations, HVAC and sheet metal work, farm/ranch, maintenance, automotive, hobby and school settings, the donation will provide students with the opportunity to learn welding skills with real world equipment,” the company says.

ESAB also offers scholarship and youth training opportunities through its Future Fabricators program.