Alta High School's lacrosse program has a new 12-foot scorer's tower, and it was built not by a contractor but by welding students at the Canyons Technical Education Center in Sandy.

Athletic director Jim Langford found commercial towers expensive and short on customization, according to Canyons School District. So he brought the project to CTEC, where welding instructor AJ Snell and his students took it from concept to finished steel.

Recent CTEC graduates Drew Searle and Rowan Penrod handled much of the fabrication. The two met with Langford to understand Alta's specifications, developed and refined the design, worked through engineering challenges and incorporated feedback along the way. The district said they invested hundreds of hours in the project.

The result: about 100 square feet of elevated space for managing games, with potential use for other Alta athletic programs. It cost less than a third of the going commercial rate, according to the district.

"There's a big difference between completing a welding assignment for a grade and building something that people are actually going to use," Snell said. "Drew and Rowan had to think about design, structural integrity, deadlines, and what the customer wanted."

Alta principal Kenneth Rowley called the tower "an awesome upgrade" to the school's athletic facilities.

The project reflects the kind of work the Canyons Innovation Center (CIC) plans to expand. The new facility is scheduled to open in August 2027 in Draper. CIC director Reid Newey said welding and manufacturing jobs pay annual wages between $47,000 and $100,000, and that the center aims to prepare high school students for those careers.

Sam Soter, business development specialist for the CIC, said the center is reaching out to local businesses to take on projects those companies have not had the bandwidth to complete. Soter is attending the Utah Small Business Summit and Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, pitching the partnership model to area companies.

The scorer's tower now stands at Alta High, ready for the Hawks' next home lacrosse game.