So this was the challenge: Inspect a car and fix as many problems as you can find in one hour.
As the Orange County Register reported this week, a dozen local automotive students paired up in teams and raced the clock to make car repairs in a scholarship competition sponsored by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association.
The 25th annual contest, held on Feb. 10 at Kia’s Irvine facility, underscored the extent to which STEM skills are needed to work on today’s cars.
“On the average car there’s over 30 computers now, and we’ve probably tripled the number of models, so there’s a lot more cars and they’re a lot more sophisticated,” John Sackrison, the association’s executive director, told the Register.
Santiago High School’s Antonio Leana and Mauricio Rey won the day and secured an invite to the nationals by making 24 repairs. (Bugs included everything from busted fuses to faulty starters.) And all of the participants netted $1,500 scholarships to area community colleges that have automotive programs.
Here are some of the other school-related stories we’ve been tracking this week:
- Some innovative students from Capistrano Valley High spent six months building an electric car from scratch before temporarily turning over the keys to the city’s mayor and other local VIPs.
- Nine school counselors have been honored for their efforts to help students succeed through a new awards program established by OCDE in partnership with the College Board and OC Pathways.
- Borrowing a line from an apparel company, students from Concordia Elementary in San Clemente organized a weeklong “Dude Be Nice” campaign that included pep rallies, acts of kindness and student and staff appreciation activities.
- Former California Angels pitcher Jim Abbott was one of three successful professionals with arm or hand deficiencies who spoke about overcoming adversity with and without the use of prosthetics during a visit to Sage Hill School in Newport Coast. The presentations were organized through a campus group that collaborates on prosthetic projects.
- For the second time since December, seven students from La Habra’s Washington Middle School have won top honors in a national environmental challenge.
- Orange County’s public and private schools have a rich history of producing great Olympians — and this year is no different. The 2018 Winter Olympics feature at least four athletes with ties to local schools.
- Inspired by Google’s offices, a fourth-grade teacher at Andersen Elementary in Newport Beach has swapped traditional desks and chairs in her classroom for bean bags, rocking chairs, yacht buoys and padded blankets.