TCCHS student Rhett Kohler cuts metal segments while teacher Travis Barrett observes his technique.

THOMASVILLE — Thomas County Central High School welding instructor Travis Barrett helps students build their future one seal at a time. 

The life-long Yellow Jacket graduated from TCCHS in 1994 and has taught at his alma mater for 15 years.

“I have always been a Yellow Jacket,” he said. “I take pride in being a Yellow Jacket. Only a chosen few can be life-long Yellow Jackets.”

Barrett has an associate degree in welding from Southern Regional Technical College and completed a New Teacher Institute Program for his teaching certification at Valdosta State University. However, his path did not originally connect to the classroom.

“I was working in the welding industry when the construction industry started failing,” he said. “The company that I was working for went out of business. There was an ad in the newspaper about a welding teacher.”

Barrett called to get more information about the position, and the rest is history. Currently, Barrett’s classes include Occupational Safety and Fundamentals, Intro to Metals, and Arc Welding I & II. His program is one of the school’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education, or CTAE, pathways that help prepare students for entering the workforce after graduation.

“Welding here at TCCHS gives the students an opportunity to learn a skill that can take them as far as they want to,” Barrett said. “The opportunities are endless.”

Sophomore Hunter Brogren said taking Barrett’s class helped link him with his career possibilities.

“I’d never welded before in my life; my freshman year was the first time I welded,” he said. “And after that, I wanted to pursue it to eventually get on the road [to travel from job site to job site around the country] after school.”

The best part of Barrett’s job is his students. He enjoys teaching them the right ways to conduct themselves in and outside the classroom. Barrett’s biggest classroom challenge is finding students who appreciate his field. But he always strives to instill the importance of a solid work ethic within his pupils, including serving as a SkillsUSA adviser.

“Work ethic is something that will stay with you the rest of your career,” he said. “In every career, to move up the ladder, you need to have a good work ethic.”

Brogren appreciates Barrett’s classroom approach.

“He gets to know his students and helps them when they need help,” Brogren said. “When we go into the shop and need help figuring something out, we ask Coach Barrett, and he will stop doing what he’s doing to help you with your questions. He also makes his class fun because we joke around, but when it’s time to be serious, he makes sure we are on track.”

Brogren finds welding very therapeutic because it gives him a chance to relax and reflect. One of his favorite assignments was 10 mini projects united into one large unit.

“The reason I like this one so much is because it gave me the chance to be challenged,” Brogren said. “I had to get more done, and since we had to cut a bunch of pieces out, it helped me improve my cutting skills.”

Each time a student tells Barrett they’ve gotten a job is a memorable teaching moment for him.

“All I want is for the students to be successful in life,” he said.

When not in his welding workshop, Barrett might be found in the school’s baseball dugout or field. He served as the head junior varsity coach and an assistant varsity coach for TCCHS teams.

“Baseball helps teach life lessons in a competitive environment,” Barrett said. “Players learn how to deal with the highest highs and the lowest lows.” 

Married to his high school sweetheart, Suzanne, the Barretts have three children: Ragan, Ethan, and Kaylee, a member of the TCCHS Class of 2022.