Disclaimer: 42Fifty reporter Gavin Baker is part of the Auto Team but did not take part in the writing or editing part of this article.
For the first time in seven years, OH’s auto team won Waubonsee’s Automotive Technology program’s Automotive Skills competition on Feb. 21.
OH students have grown a huge liking in the trades through our CTE classes, and this year, students of these auto classes showed their love through hard work, determination, and focus.
“For the first time since 2019, the traveling trophy returns to the OHS Auto Shop to showcase all of the hard work and dedication of our students,” said OHS Auto’s teacher Don Vath.
The competition was set with multiple stages, including diagnostics, electronics, circuit building, steering, and muchmore. Out of the 460 points achievable, OH gained 329.5 points.
Vath personally felt this win to be much more personal. “It felt better to me [than the last win in 2019] because this is my last year and I get to leave with a win,” Vath said.
Though the entire team excelled in every stage, they improved greatly in the electronics field, which was key to their success. The autos team shared some key moments outsmarting the others in various ways.
OH senior Emmett Powell, one of the contestants, had their moment to shine when a car that no one was able to turn on was easily fixed by one mistake.
“We were the only team that was able to get the car started that wouldn’t start [to start],” senior Alex Quiorez said, “It was… Powell who located the inertia switch [which was causing the issue] and got the car running in under three minutes.”
After seven years, the team successfully brought the trophy home into the auto shop. With high hopes for next year, we will see how the program continues to grow and reach new heights.
Hello! I like fishing and I love learning the guitar, I’m a second-year reporter in12th grade. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
