Welding is an art and Wylie High School teacher, Ken Nicholson is an artist. I asked Ken to use his amazing welding skills to forge branding irons from designs submitted by each campus. The designs were to “tell a story” about their campus.
The results, simply amazing. Ken makes welding look easy, but it is very difficult. Ken is no “drug store” welder. Ken stresses quality, frets over details, and produces an amazing product. How do I know this? He has my daughter Kate’s seal of approval.
Kate is my tennis playing, engineer, entrepreneur and free spirit daughter that is not afraid to try something new. She decided that welding would be her next adventure. She enrolled in “Mr. Nick’s” class and loves every minute spent with a welding torch.
The dinner table is a time for stories about welding class, her next welding project and quotes from the teacher, complete with a cowboy accent.
Kate says, “Mr. Nick could do anything and he chose to be a teacher. I never want to hear the – I am not mad at you, just disappointed speech he gives.” What this says to me is that Ken Nicholson knows how to build relationships with kids and teaches more than welding. He inspires kids to do their best.
Ken Nicholson is a craftsman that makes hard things like welding, teaching and encouraging kids to do their best look easy. By the way, Ken can also doctor sick cattle, pull a calf and barbeque a brisket with the best of them. Did I mention that Ken Nicholson is also Wylie High School’s Teacher of the Year?
I believe Chimp Robertson would say that Ken rides for the brand by using his strengths and passions to inspire others. He brings value to “the ranch” by using his craft to instill character through his words and actions. I think Chimp would say that Ken makes the difficult appear easy because “this ain’t his first rodeo.”
Thank you for making my daughter a better person Mr. Nick! I am glad you Ride for my Brand!
