From outside, the closed building seems like nothing more than a storage space for whatever junk was left over from previous years. When the garage doors open, welding machines roar, cars fill the space, and students transform into mechanics.
Auto Tech, a class taught by Mark Mester, is a class over-looked by most students. The building stands alone in the teacher’s parking lot on Mimosa Drive, just outside C-Hall.
The introductory class to Auto Tech teaches safety, tool identification, changing tires, and maintenance work. The class also teaches students how to apply fundamental electricity concepts to cars.
In addition, students learn the diagnosis, repair, and electrical mechanics of cars, while those in advanced class are trained in steering suspension and alliance.
“The class makes it easier for students to learn and develop skills they will need in the future if they decide to pursue a career in the automotive industry,” Auto Tech teacher Mark Mester said.
Mester believes that auto tech has become more complicated than it used to be, and it takes a lot more practice and critical thinking than it did before to solve certain problems.
“It’s harder than it used to be because of the changes in technology,” Mester said. “If you don’t grasp the theory, you can’t grasp the repair, and because the cost to repair vehicles is so high nowadays, it’s more critical that students make the right diagnosis.”
Students in the class like the fact that they can get physically involved with what they are learning.
“I like that it’s hands on,” Senior Auto Tech student Dajah Douglas said. “I’m really learning how to do everything.”
Auto Tech is not like most classes. Instead of doing class work, students get to work on actual cars.
“I like working with my hands and not having to do all that school work,” Senior Ben Rivera said.
Since the auto tech classroom is a separate building on it’s own, many students don’t realize that the class is an option.
“There are a lot of kids who don’t know that the class exists, and there are more who would like to take the class but who don’t have room in their schedule for it,“ Mester said.
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