Industrial Arts
At SBA, industrial arts is not an afterthought — it is a core part of preparing students for purposeful lives of service, whether that path leads to college, a trade career, or back to the family farm.
Hands-On Learning, Real-World Skills
With a 5:1 student-to-teacher ratio, SBA shop classes offer more time on equipment, more direct instruction, and more meaningful projects than students would find at a larger school. Located in the heart of South Dakota’s farm and ranch country, our setting is itself a classroom — students learn skills that matter in the world they actually live in.
SBA’s industrial arts program cultivates virtues that cannot be learned from a textbook: patience when a weld fails, humility when a measurement is wrong, perseverance to start again, and the deep satisfaction of creating something useful and good.
What Students Learn
From welding and woodworking to automotive repair, SBA students build real skills they will carry for a lifetime.
Woodworking & Construction
Students progress from basic joinery and tool safety to furniture construction and finish carpentry. Construction coursework extends to residential building techniques including framing, roofing, and interior finishing.
Welding & Metal Fabrication
Introduction to MIG, TIG, and stick welding. Students learn safety procedures, metallurgy basics, blueprint reading, and precision measuring. The program prepares students for industry-recognized welding certifications.
Automotive Technology
Hands-on experience with vehicle systems, engine diagnostics, routine maintenance, and repair. Essential skills for anyone living in rural communities where self-sufficiency matters.
Agriscience & FFA
As the only Christian school in South Dakota with our own FFA chapter, SBA connects classroom instruction in animal science, plant science, and agricultural mechanics to real-world experience.
Learn MoreWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
More Than a Shop Class
Faith-Driven Craftsmanship
God is the original craftsman. Scripture’s first mention of someone being “filled with the Spirit” describes Bezalel, a skilled artisan called to work in gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. At SBA, students discover that working skillfully with their hands is an act of worship.
Real Skills for Real Life
In rural South Dakota, self-sufficiency is a way of life. Students who can weld a gate, repair an engine, frame a wall, or build furniture carry skills that serve their families and communities for decades.
Small Classes, Big Results
With a 5:1 student-to-teacher ratio, SBA students get hands-on time that larger schools simply cannot match. Students leave with real, marketable skills — and in the case of welding, industry-recognized certifications.
Ready to Build Your Future?
Discover how SBA’s industrial arts program prepares students with real skills, strong character, and a heart for service.