{"id":894,"date":"2026-03-04T14:46:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T14:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/?p=894"},"modified":"2026-05-22T15:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:31:09","slug":"recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: Northern Plains Section Behind the Mask Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"894\" class=\"elementor elementor-894\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2c5c139 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2c5c139\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ac9c762\" data-id=\"ac9c762\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca9c9a3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca9c9a3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Date of Event:<\/strong> 03\/04\/2026<\/p><p><strong>Location:\u00a0<\/strong>Northland Community and Technical College, Thief River Falls, MN, campus.<\/p><p><strong>Number of Attendees:<\/strong> 175<\/p><p><strong>Presenter\/Notable Guest(s):\u00a0<\/strong>District 15 Director Dale Szabla<\/p><p><strong>Event Summary: <\/strong><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">The American Welding Society (AWS) Northern Plains Section recently hosted its<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">annual Behind the Mask welding contest at Northland Community and Technical <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">College\u2019s Thief River Falls, MN campus. The event brought together welding <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">students 9 high schools and 5 colleges from across North Dakota and <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Minnesota to compete and connect with industry professionals.<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">78 secondary students and 76 post-secondary students registered to compete in <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">both Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) and Gas Metal Arc Welding<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">(GMAW) processes. With 154 total contestants, this year\u2019s competition <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">marked the largest participation in the history of the AWS Northern Plains<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Section\u2019s annual Behind the Mask contest.<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Students representing nine high schools and five colleges from across North <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Dakota and Minnesota traveled to participate in the event, competing for more <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">than $18,000 in prizes generously provided by industry partners and <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">supporters.<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Beyond the competition itself, the event also provided an opportunity for students <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">to engage with representatives from local and regional companies. Industry <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">partners were present to discuss career pathways, answer questions, and <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">highlight employment opportunities available to students as they complete <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">their welding education.<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">The AWS Northern Plains Section extends its appreciation to Northland <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Community and Technical College, Thief River Falls campus, for hosting this<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">year\u2019s event. The section also thanks the many volunteers who dedicated their <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">time to organize, facilitate, and judge the competition.<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Special recognition is given to the many organizations and vendors whose generous <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">donations of materials, equipment, and prizes helped make the contest <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">possible. Sponsors included **Alexandria Technical and Community College, A-<\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Ox Welding Supply, Airgas, American Welding &amp; Gas, Central Boiler, Central <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">McGowan \/ Red River Welder Supply, CGW Abrasives, Degelman Industries, <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">DeWalt, Grand Forks Welding &amp; Machine, Lincoln Electric, Linde Gas &amp; <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Equipment, Lunseth Plumbing &amp; Heating, Miller Electric, Mathey Dearman,<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">North Dakota State College of Science, PS Industries, Steffes <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Manufacturing, Strong Hand Tools, Summers Manufacturing, Tillman Gloves,<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">UA Local 512 Ironworkers Union, and Weldcote Metals.<\/span><br role=\"presentation\" \/><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Events such as the Behind the Mask contest play an important role in supporting <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">welding education and workforce development across the region. By providing <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">students with the opportunity to test their skills in a competitive environment\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">and interact with industry professionals, the contest strengthens the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">connection between education and industry and encourages the next <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">generation of welders to pursue careers in welding and fabrication.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e73c29f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e73c29f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"np22\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjkwNCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9zZWN0aW9ucy5hd3Mub3JnXC9ub3J0aGVybnBsYWluc1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvc2l0ZXNcLzEyM1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL25wMjIucG5nIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-904\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">2026 Behind the Mask Secondary Winners: L to R Caden Johnston, Sheyenne Valley Area Career and Technology Center, Valley City, ND; Hunter Clement Sheyenne Valley Area Career and Technology Center, Valley City, ND; Logan Dutenhafer, Mandan High School, Mandan, ND; Casper Holkup, Mandan High School, Mandan, ND; Karson Wolf, North Valley Vocational Center, Grafton, ND<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a881b4f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a881b4f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e932aa2\" data-id=\"e932aa2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d53b006 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d53b006\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"dale\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjkwOSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9zZWN0aW9ucy5hd3Mub3JnXC9ub3J0aGVybnBsYWluc1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvc2l0ZXNcLzEyM1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL2RhbGUucG5nIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-909\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">District 15 Director Dale Szabla, left presenting Logan Dutenhafer Mandan High School, Mandan, ND 1st place in both GMAW and SMAW a AWS $1000.00 Competition Scholarship.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2ebf6e8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2ebf6e8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bea247a\" data-id=\"bea247a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f198fd elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0f198fd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/college-winners.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"college winners\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjkxNCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9zZWN0aW9ucy5hd3Mub3JnXC9ub3J0aGVybnBsYWluc1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvc2l0ZXNcLzEyM1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL2NvbGxlZ2Utd2lubmVycy5wbmcifQ%3D%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/college-winners-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-914\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/college-winners-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/college-winners-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">2026 Behind the Mask Post-Secondary Winners: L to R Chase Marsh, North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton; Wade Gorder, North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton; Collin Goettle, North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, Kaden Bosek, Hadden Steen, Alexandria Technical and Community College, Alexandria, MN; Ava Ellingson, Alexandria Technical and Community College, Alexandria, MN;<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-be38858 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"be38858\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b014b13\" data-id=\"b014b13\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8b8854c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8b8854c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/booth22.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"booth22\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjkxOSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9zZWN0aW9ucy5hd3Mub3JnXC9ub3J0aGVybnBsYWluc1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvc2l0ZXNcLzEyM1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL2Jvb3RoMjIucG5nIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/booth22-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-919\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/booth22-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/booth22-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">GMAW Contest participants working on their contest weldments.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9dca239 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9dca239\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale-aws.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"dale aws\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjkyMyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9zZWN0aW9ucy5hd3Mub3JnXC9ub3J0aGVybnBsYWluc1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvc2l0ZXNcLzEyM1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL2RhbGUtYXdzLnBuZyJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale-aws-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-923\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale-aws-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/dale-aws-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">District 15 Director Dale Szabla thanks all sponsors and vendors and inspires competitors at the 2026 Northern Plains Section Behind the Mask Contest.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec6664d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ec6664d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/Bryan.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Bryan\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjkyNyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9zZWN0aW9ucy5hd3Mub3JnXC9ub3J0aGVybnBsYWluc1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvc2l0ZXNcLzEyM1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL0JyeWFuLnBuZyJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/Bryan-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-927\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/Bryan-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/Bryan-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">6 Bryan Stastny left, accepting Section Educator award from Northern Plains Section\u2019s Chairman\/Treasurer and Northland Community and Technical College instructor Joel Ziegler. Congratulations Bryan!<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Date of Event: 03\/04\/2026 Location:\u00a0Northland Community and Technical College, Thief River Falls, MN, campus. Number of Attendees: 175 Presenter\/Notable Guest(s):\u00a0District 15 Director Dale Szabla Event Summary: The American Welding Society (AWS) Northern Plains Section recently hosted itsannual Behind the Mask welding contest at Northland Community and Technical College\u2019s Thief River Falls, MN campus. The event&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\"><span>Read More<\/span><i>&#43;<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post-event-report"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Recap: Northern Plains Section Behind the Mask Contest - AWS Northern Plains Section<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Recap: Northern Plains Section Behind the Mask Contest - AWS Northern Plains Section\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Date of Event: 03\/04\/2026 Location:\u00a0Northland Community and Technical College, Thief River Falls, MN, campus. Number of Attendees: 175 Presenter\/Notable Guest(s):\u00a0District 15 Director Dale Szabla Event Summary: The American Welding Society (AWS) Northern Plains Section recently hosted itsannual Behind the Mask welding contest at Northland Community and Technical College\u2019s Thief River Falls, MN campus. The event&#8230;Read More&#043;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AWS Northern Plains Section\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-04T14:46:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-22T15:31:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"641\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"lcohn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"lcohn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"lcohn\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/#\/schema\/person\/2eec9832d5a7cee3fb02f358c306ce00\"},\"headline\":\"Recap: Northern Plains Section Behind the Mask Contest\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T14:46:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-22T15:31:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\"},\"wordCount\":596,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22-150x150.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Post Event Report\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\",\"name\":\"Recap: Northern Plains Section Behind the Mask Contest - AWS Northern Plains Section\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22-150x150.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T14:46:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-22T15:31:09+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/2026\/03\/04\/recap-northern-plains-section-behind-the-mask-contest-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/northernplains\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/123\/2026\/03\/np22.png\",\"width\":960,\"height\":641,\"caption\":\"2026 Behind the Mask Secondary Winners: L to R Caden Johnston, Sheyenne Valley Area Career and Technology Center, Valley City, ND; 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