Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Jim Weber of Helena

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today recognized Jim Weber, a welding and machining teacher at Capital High School in Helena, Montana. Under Mr. Weber’s leadership his class recently made 15 machined fly rods to donate to the Big Hearts Under the Big Sky program.

Big Hearts Under the Big Sky allows service members, children with life-threatening illnesses and women battling breast cancer, opportunities to enjoy the outdoors at no cost.

Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress.

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Daines’ recognition in the Congressional Record is available here.

Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program by calling Daines’ office at 202-224-2651 or by filling out the contact form on Daines’ website: http://www.daines.senate.gov/content/contact-steve.

The following is the statement submitted to the Congressional Record:

RECOGNIZING JIM WEBER

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Jim Weber, a welding and machining teacher at Capital High School in Helena, Montana. Mr. Weber uses Mastercam CAD/CAM software to give his students real world, practical skills, as well as the work ethic necessary to complete any task. His instruction helped lead one of his students to victory at the National Machining Competition for creating a custom fly fishing rod and display case.

Mr. Weber’s fly fishing rod project not only leads to great and necessary personal skills, but he inspired this years’ senior class to make an even bigger impact with their fly fishing rods. Mr. Weber’s class designed and machined fifteen custom fly fishing rods for the Big Hearts under the Big Sky project which helps to create free and gratifying opportunities for service men and women, life-threateningly ill children, and women battling breast cancer to explore the vast and beautiful Montanan outdoors. Not only was he able to teach high school students how to make rings, knives, and fishing rods, he was also able to motivate his students to help themselves by helping others.

The ability to educate students and make them ready to take on the challenges that our world contains is a valuable asset to the young adults. Each and every day Mr. Weber provides a great service to our future leaders that words cannot adequately express. I am excited to see what comes of the great men and women that Jim Weber is able to teach and inspire.

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