On Friday, Sept. 30, Welding Engineering Technology students and faculty participated in a ribbon-cutting to honor their completion of Celebration Pavilion in Big Rapids’ Mitchell Creek Park.
The structure was designed by local landscape architect Marlies Manning and is made of steel and laser-cut aluminum. Welding faculty member Dave Murray and his students built and installed the pavilion throughout the summer.
The pavilion is one of many installations — including sculptures at City Hall, Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital, Riverwalk, and at the city limits near the U.S. 131 exit — that Welding students have contributed to the local community.
The Welding program group that worked on the pavilion included students from Michigan and the Midwest, but also Botswana and Saudi Arabia.
Engraved on the inside of Celebration Pavilion’s dome is a quote from Mother Teresa: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”