NEW ENGLAND - While many students would rather be in bed on Monday mornings, the six students in Brice Stegner's welding class are happy to be in school.

Stegner is the vocational agriculture instructor at New England High School. For an hour every day, five days week, he teaches welding to inmates from the state women's prison in this town.

The female minimum-security inmates are bused to the school and brought in through the back entrance to the shop. They have no contact with the high school students.

They learn gas welding, wire feed welding and arc welding by joining scraps of metal together. Stegner said the students work on one type of welding until they master it, then move on to another type.

The class has been running for about a month. It has six students, with four more starting this week, Stockert said.

Evette Seewalker recently spent the class hour using a torch to melt filler into two pieces of metal. She said welding is fun, though it can be frustrating.

Seewalker is not sure if she will look for a welding job when she is released. If she does, Stegner will help her find one.

"That's what he does, helps us to get our foot in the door," she said. "It will better us, regardless - and anything to get away from there for an hour."

Brooke Anderson took the class because it was one of the only things offered. She didn't think she would enjoy it, but she was surprised. She spent a Monday morning learning to use a wire feed welder.

"It's a really good learning experience," Anderson said. "If I absolutely can't find something to do, I'll have this to fall back on," she said.

If nothing else, the class breaks the monotony of prison life.

"This actually gives us something to look forward to," Anderson said.

Karen Howson said she has always had an interest in welding, and jumped at the chance to take the class because she likes to do a variety of things. Life skills are important, she said, and not many women become welders.

Education Coordinator Maria Stockert said discipline has not been a problem with the class. Students know that if there is a problem, they will be removed from class.

Stockert said it is good for the women to be busy.

"It's best that they do as much as they can," she said.

Stegner said he was apprehensive at first about working with the inmates, but the experience has been positive.

"You couldn't ask for a better class," he said.

He found the inmates to be dedicate students.

The class is a bonus for Stegner, who was hired at 80 percent of full time, with the promise of working full time next year. The class allows him to teach full time this year, and he hopes to teach it in the future.

If the inmates get a welding job after they are released, everyone involved has done well, Stegner said. The women have a chance to get certified by the American Welding Society before they leave the prison.

The pay range for welding jobs typically is from $8 to $70 per hour, depending on where someone is located, he said.

The welding class was the inspiration of New England School District Superintendent Noel Lunde, who suggested it to prison officials.

Lunde said it helps the school bring part-time teachers up to full time, and allows the inmates to take classes without the need to build more buildings.

The school district and the prison are looking at the idea of forming a committee with people from the business community, and at the possibility of evening and summer classes.

Lunde said the school also may consider classes in such areas as English, history and Spanish.

"Really, the possibilities are endless," Lunde said.

Prison Interim Administrator Colby Braun said he hopes to see the program expanded.

"This is kind of our pilot program to see how it works," he said. "The biggest thing is trying to find funding to continue to grow."