This school year the Prairie Ridge Auto Shop underwent some major changes.

Mr. Hardt, the new autos teacher, has purchased new equipment, made the class laidback and less stressful, and added some fun to the curriculum with a Universal  Technical Institute competition and workplace related presentations.

Patrick Baker and I were chosen to be in seminar, where we help teach the class, and we were happy to help Mr. Hardt in his first year of teaching Autos at PR. In the beginning the shop was very slow with little work, when one day the question came up, “What if we could fix teachers’ cars?” Mr. Hardt thought it was a brilliant idea and dug deeper into the possibilities.

And in no time we were approved to bring in a few teachers’ cars. We soon acquired some standard office supplies and work forms, and I took it upon myself to meet with the teachers and educate them on what services we offer.

Mrs. Steiner was so overjoyed with our services she even made us brownies and said, “Thanks for all the hard work.” It is so convenient for the teachers, and it’s a great learning experience for us.

A few weeks after the word got out, we were soon overloaded with work. Teachers all over the school wanted to bring their car in. On a typical day we usually had two cars in the shop, and we would do anything from a transmission service to a 19-point inspection. The Auto 2 students really enjoyed learning on the teachers’ cars. Students could really see they were making a difference in the community, and it was very rewarding for them.

During this rush of work it showed the students’ true colors, some good some bad. The two students that shined the most were Atticus Moreschi and Will Tibbitts; they took the problems head on and always finished them. Mr. Hardt has been very impressed by their work ethic. He once said, “They are the hardest working guys in the shop.”  Because of their hard work and dedication, they will get to carry the wrench next year and become the new seminar leaders.

In second semester I have been a part of a project with the accounting students where we can have a database log of our work. They have also made new job sheets tailored to our shop. Accounting has done an amazing job and will help us to keep our business afloat. One of the most influential students in accounting has been Max Kipp. He said, “This was a great project to close out my senior year, and I had a blast working on it.” Max has put a lot of time in completing this project, and his effort will be recognized for years to come. It’s a shame that I will not be able to use all of the new job sheets for very long, but knowing that future students like Atticus and Will, will be using them makes me remember why I was a part of all these projects.

Autos has been my favorite class my entire high school career, and I’m glad that I was able to leave my mark on the program. It’s going to be sad when I graduate, but I have Will and Atticus to keep the shop going, the hardest working guys in the shop. With all of the experience I’ve gained and the friends I’ve met, this was a great way to end my senior year.

A Note from Mr. Hardt:

Pat Baker & Tom Nelson are exceptional Auto Seminar students. Mr. Koeppen & I believe in a work environment (class & shop) that allows our employees (students) the room to use their creativity & talents to pursue their passion. Pat & Tom have done exactly that and will leave the PR Autos program with a fine legacy for future students  to continue.