New Beginnings

Well, this is likely to be my last posting as a principal here at YCST. Most know at this point that I have been hired by Millersville University as a professor of education.... how exciting, but extremely bittersweet, as it's hard to imagine not being here at Tech to greet the teachers and then the students as they return for this coming school year.

I am THRILLED, though, to be leaving you in the great care of Mrs. Michelle Anderson, the new principal who officially starts on Aug. 29th. I know that you will find that she will serve you and the school well with her special set of skills. I am sure she would love to receive a welcoming greeting from you at manderson@ycstech.org.

Until that time, Mr. Graham, head of students services, will be handling any principal-like tasks that need to take place. He can be contacted at x5108 or tgraham@ycstech.org.

I wish you all a great 2011-2012 school year, and I do NOT plan to be a stranger..... you will see my face in the hallways or Tech or attending some events when I can. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to have served this school and community as a principal here.

Summer Work

Many ask, what work do principals actually do in the summer? Well, for us here at Tech, there is a lot to do. Revising handbooks, looking at and assisting teachers in revising curriculum and lesson plans, reviewing materials to make sure they match state requirements, analyzing discipline and achievement data, and hiring new staff members as needed. Phew.... and trying to fit in some vacation time too, as we all need it!

One position that we are currently trying to hire for is mine, actually. I'm sure most of you know by now (since it was in the local paper back in April) that I have accepted a tenure-track professor of education position at Millersville University for the fall. We are currently interviewing some very accomplished candidates to find the right match for the position.

On a note of student news, one of our Welding students, Jamie Bange (grade 11 in the fall) is spending his summer trying to get some certifications. If he is successful, he will be the youngest student ever in the welding program to obtain any professional level certifications.

Early Summer Notes

+ Last night, I attended another graduation ceremony in the county that had very appreciative graduates. It was the York Adams Academy, and there were approximately 50 or so students who received the honor of a high school diploma. I was there to see a very dear family friend graduate. However, I came across two former York Tech students who were able to finish out their education. One was Anthony Witmer (former Collision student) and Tanya Shaw (former A/H academy student). I was so very proud of them. Ty (as many of us remember Tanya) traveled all the way from upstate New York where she currently lives to participate in the ceremony.

+ On another note, for those students who are trying to make up some courses, summer school registration has been extended through Thursday of this week.

+ On a third note, I look for very good things to happen with the Spartan football team this year. They were already having voluntary practices starting on Monday, with an awesome turn out of athletes!

The Last Day of School

These are the two images that I like to keep in my memory from the last day of school this year, which was last Wed. The top picture shows Mr. Kessler with one of his Auto students, comparing their rebuilt cars.

The second image is, of course, that evening at the Toyota Center, where the graduation ceremony was held. In this picture, our graduates are about to move their tassles over to signify their new alumni status.

Graduation Day!

Here we are at the last school day of the year, a day that is short for underclassmen (dismissed at 11am), but long for the faculty, staff and graduates. However, the long day is worth it to participate in our wonderful graduation ceremony.

I've listed the post-secondary education plans of some of our M/T graduates below:

1) Aaron Callis, Auto: Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
2) Luiz Diaz, Collision: Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
3) Josh Hisey, Diesel: University of Northwest Ohio
4) Kurt Lippy, Auto: Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
5) Jesus Lopez, Collision: Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
6) Kyle Noel, Welding: Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn Tech)
7) Chris Rodriguez, Collision: Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

Spotlight Awards Program

Tonight was the exciting Spotlight Awards Program! It was an all-school awards program to celebrate some of our most accomplished students. Many received scholarships, gifts cards, and/or tools for their trade areas in celebration of their achievements. The following list recognizes the Man/Tran students and the awards they earned:

Future Leaders of York Award: Devin Eckert (Auto)

Academic AllStars (top ten in the senior class): Kyle Harrison (Metal Machining)

Welding Awards: Jamie Bange, Kayota Beck, Cory Eid, Eric Trent, Rachel Styers, and Taylor Koller

Bud Landis Memorial Scholarship: Kyle Noel (Welding) and Cheyenne Brown (Diesel) - $1000!!!

Bud Landis Memorial Awards: Kyle Noel (Welding), Aaron Callis (Auto), Kyle Harrison (Metal Machining), Josh Hisey (Diesel), Chris Rodriguez (Collision), and Garrett Brown (Power Equipment)

Manufacturing/Transportation Academy Award: Kyle Harrison, Metal Machining

Masters of Machining Award (Tools): Kyle Harrison

Kunkle's Service Center Top Collision Student: Chris Rodriguez

Kunkle's Service Center Top Auto Mechanic: Franklyn Ramos

AASP Top Automotive Students: Aaron Callis and Kurt Lippy

Diesel Award ($50 Sears gift card!): Alec Raffensberger

Still Working....

I was so pleased that just a few days before the end of the school year, I walked through the shops and still saw students hard at work. This is exactly how it should be! It's also great to see how our 9th grade students have grown and matured. In the top picture, you see two 9th grade Metal Machining students working on one of the machines. In the bottom picture, you see three 9th grade Collision students working on repairing some structural damage.

Tonight is the Spotlight Awards program, so be on the lookout for news about Man/Tran winners in the next day or so.

May Board Meeting Honorees

Tonight, the Man/Tran students of the month were honored at the JOC monthly meeting. Those two students are both from the Dover School District.

1) Christian Marks, 11th grade, Metal Machining

2) Jared Lucas, 9th grade, Collision Repair

In addition, there were many students from across the school honored tonight due to their successes among different competetions. Chris Rodriguez (Collision Repair) was presented as a 2nd place Skills USA winner. Plus, we had a surprise appearance at the board meeting from alum Deavon Brown, '10 (Auto), who attended to support a friend from another academy who was being honored by the JOC. What a great night!

Athletic Awards Banquet

Last night was the 10th annual YCST Athletic Awards Banquet, and what an awesome evening! It was so well planned (thanks to Mrs. Hoyle, Ms. Brown, and Mrs. Parks in collaboration with Mr. Caruso and the staff of the Praise Center/Heritage Hills)... and then so many students were honored. Mr. Caruso emphasized that YCST, for the 5th year in a row, exceeded the maximum number of students who had participated in athletics.... we were well above 400 students participating in sports here. That's over 25% of the student population!!! Again, it was great to honor the partnership we have with Jim Mustard and the rest of the staff and students at York Country Day. This partnership has been so beneficial to the students of both schools.

Man/Tran students cleaned up! It doesn't hurt that Man/Tran had a HUGE increase of participation in athletics this year.... our junior high teams were PACKED with Man/Tran students.

First, there were door prizes. Here are the Man/Tran students who won door prizes last night: Ben Aldinger (Auto), Kyle Harrison (Metal Machining), Stephuan Montouth (Welding), Christian Marks (Metal Machine), and Dakota Ross (Welding).

Another highlight of last night was seeing Luiz Diaz (Collision Repair) present the Players' Choice Coach of the Year Award to Coach Graham. He was so mature and well-spoken on the podium.

Right before the presentation of Coach Graham's award, the entire boys' track team was honored for being the district III champs in YAIAA this year. Some of the M/T students on the track team who were present last night were: Luiz Diaz (Collision), Ben Aldinger (Auto), Deante Weldon (Auto), and Calvin Savary (Welding).

Dani Aikens (Metal Machining) not only won the Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award, but it was also announced that she was the YAIAA co-softball Player of the Year - as only a 10th grader... WOW!

Here's the list of the rest of the Man/Tran students who won awards last night:

1) Male Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award - Luiz Diaz (Collison)

2) Freshman Male Renaissance Positive Athlete Award - Cody Thompson (Auto)

3) Player of the Year in Golf - Nick Houston (Diesel)

4) Bowling Champion Award - Cheyenne Brown (Diesel)

York Tech Family - Auto Edition

You may think - what's so special about these pictures? It's just the morning and afternoon shop groups of Mr. Kessler and Mr. Merges... but if you look closely, you will see a properly uniformed visitor - Mr. Kessler's daughter, standing next to Mr. Kessler. She spent the day with us yesterday, as Mr. Kessler was out of the building on Bring Your Child To Work day, and his daughter really loved spending time in the shop last year. The students were on their best behavior with a second grader around, and they treated her with the utmost respect. Just another reason why this place feels like such a family.....

Auto Olympics!!

This past week was the annual York Tech Automotive Olympics. Pictured above are the 1st year students competing for their first time, although the upper classmen also participated. During this competition, tasks are determined by Mr. Merges and Mr. Kessler for the students to complete, and the students who receive 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place get to wear little trophies the rest of the day. Some of the students I saw wearing trophies were:

Colton Miller

AJ Albino

Corin Sappe

Brittany Mayr

Patrick Hull

Edwin Coston

Co-Op Banquet

Last night was the co-op banquet. The coordinators (Mr. Mark and Mrs. Warner) did a great job at organizing the event. The meal was fantastic (thanks Chef Baker and Culinary students), and the students and their employers were honored with certificates. One co-op student spoke from each academy (Kyle Harrison, Metal Machine student) was ours to discuss how his co-op experience impacted him. Several of the students academic and technical teachers also attended. Mrs. Bassett (Guidance Counselor), Mr. Yarrison (Welding Instructor) and Ms. Lenz (Special Ed instructor) were among those who attended to support the students. It was a very nice event (all of our Man/Tran students even had button-down shirts on -very impressive!).

Here is the list of M/T students who were honored last night:

Zach Allman (Welding)
Jake Watson (Welding)
Devin Greenplate (Welding)
Jon Tracey (Welding)
Kyle Harrison (Metal Machine)
Dan Waltimyer (Welding)
Brandon Godfrey (Diesel)
Dave Orwick (Diesel)
Eric Shearer (Welding)
Kevin Markle (Diesel)
Nick Houston (Diesel)
Josh Hisey (Diesel)
Nick Roth (Diesel)
Josh Wagner (Auto)
Will Sydor (Welding)
Aaron Beavers (Diesel)
Dustin Redman (Metal Machine)
Paul Storke (Diesel)
Jake Anderson (Welding)

May - Busy and Fun at Tech

For a few days last week, the Festo Learning Systems Mobile Mechatronics Lab visited the YCST campus. The local York Dispatch visited as well, and took a picture of some of our Auto students testing out the equipment. I also received very sincere and sweet thank you letters from an English 9 class that I allowed to go out and visit it.

Last night was the prom, and WOW, did our students look great and they behaved even better. Maybe someone will send me some pictures to post, since I forgot to bring a camera :(

This week, we have two great dinner events coming up. First, on Tuesday night, we will be honoring our Co-Op employers and students with a banquet, organized by Mr. Mark and Ms. Warner. On Wednesday night, we are holding our annual senior banquet for 12th grade students and their families at a new location, the Praise Center.

STAR Student/NOCTI Incentives Assembly

Yesterday afternoon, there was an assembly held for 11th and 12th graders to recognize the top student in each shop for the year (STAR student) and to have drawings for prizes for all students who score proficient and advanced on the NOCTI exam. Here are the following Man/Tran winners:

STAR Students - Aaron Callis (Auto), Kole Krysiak (Diesel), Rachel Styers (Welding), Kyle Aikens (Power Equip), Cody Miller (Collision) and Kyle Harrison (Metal Machining).

The following seniors won prizes from the drawings. There names were entered into the drawing for scoring successfully on the NOCTI exam -

Reserved Parking Spot: Jesse Blair (Collision)

Lunch with the Director and Asst. Director in the SPARTAN Inn: Dan Waltemire (Welding), Rick Wilson (Diesel), and Josh Wertz (Welding)

Free Prom Ticket: Jacob Watson (Welding)

Best Buy Gift Card: Franklyn Ramos (Auto)

Monday Work

I was able to take pictures of the hard work being completed in the Weld and Diesel shops yesterday. I was amazed at the balance of the diesel student under the hood.

This is going to be a busy week for York Tech students. Tomorrow afternoon is the STAR student assembly, where a student from each shop area is chosen to receive an award. One student in the academy (usually a senior) will be chosen as the STAR student for the entire academy.

On Thursday, all students will attend an assembly by grade level sponsored by the student assistance team (SPART) in reference to making good decisions around prom time and always.

YCST Reading Initiative

You might wonder.... how does this picture match the title of this entry? On Wednesday, this was the beautiful sight I had on my trip up to State College to participate in a training with several of our teachers (Mr. Kessler - Automotive, Mrs. Lenz - Special Education, Mrs. Zortman - English, and Mr. Marks - Graphic Arts). The Technical Assistance Program (TAP) provides our school the additional opportunity for specialized training as folks who work at a career and technical high school. Many of us (including thos listed above) have been working hard, creating and implementing a plan to help our students learn to demonstrate the reading skills they have in the technical and academic classes

YCST Staff Participates in YWCA Race Against Racism

This past Saturday, several staff members and their friends/family members joined me in participating in the YWCA Race Against Racism 5K Run/Walk. Pictured above is Mr. Kessler (Auto Instructor) who had the best time among our folks, coming in at 21:20. The other current YCST teachers who participated were Ms. Falvey (Spec. Ed), Ms. Pavlick (English), Mrs. Schaeberle (Sped. Ed.), and Mrs. Stiger (Spec. Ed.). A special thanks to Mrs. Caruso (Science) who stood along E. Market St. with her dogs cheering us on and taking pictures.

Lots of Great Student Recognition

What a great day! Two Automotive students, Matt Moser and Carl Wildasin (seen in the two pictures above) placed 7th in the state AAA/Ford Competition held today! Awesome!

Even as we speak, I am attending probably the best school board meeting I have ever attended, for the following student recognition events:

1) The usual Student of the Month awards: Danielle Aikens (Metal Machining) and Brayden Cordrey (Diesel) were the M/T students for April.

2) A NOCTI score overview was presented, and wow, did our students do a great job this year, with over 80% of the students collectively across the building scoring competent/advanced (a 10% rise over last years' scores).

3) Students also spent time presenting examples of graduation projects. Grant Nix (Auto) was asked to present to the group his engine rebuild grad project. He was a great representative of our academy in talking about his work.

Baseball and Softball Games Against Fairfield

Yesterday afternoon, our boys' varsity baseball team played against Fairfield. The following Man/Tran students all started for the Spartans: Kyle Noll (Welding), Abdiel Narvaez (Auto), Chris Rodriguez (Collision), and Blake Crumbling (Diesel). Blake contributed a great deal to the efforts offensively with 2 hits and 3 stolen bases! Evan Gardner (Welding) came in during the 5th inning as a relief pitcher.

I also visited the softball game, and they also played against Fairfield. They finally won the game of back and forth rallies and continue to represent the Spartan Nation well, holding a competitive spot in the league standings.

Back at Work

As you can see, yesterday, students and teachers in the Metal Machine and Welding labs were hard at work. The top picture shows Mr. Jamison, Metal Machine instructor, working with several students. Below, Mr. Yarrison is working with several students in the Welding area. The third picture shows some other Welding students hard at work. It's nice to see teachers and students who care enough about their professional training to get right back to work after a break. Good job to teachers and students!

Return from Spring Vacation

Today, teachers and students return from our spring break. Pictured above is a learning tool from the Automotive Shop. Right before we left for break, students in Mr. Kessler's class were using this to learn about fuel injection systems.

I look forward to everyone's return today so that I can be a part of all this great learning.

On a side note, this afternoon, the Spartan track team will face Hanover for the league championship, here at Tech! Also, this Thursday night, we will have two new Man/Tran students named as students of the month at the Board meeting. It's an exciting week ahead!

Great Afternoon for Sports

Yesterday afternoon was a beautiful day for baseball and softball. I was able to attend both varsity home games against Biglerville. Man/Tran 10th grader, Dani Aikens, has been on a hitting streak and added to it yesterday during the girls' win over Biglerville.

AWS

On Thursday of last week, the AWS President, John Mendoza and his wife, visited our Welding students. He presented to the students in the theory room, and then he went out in shop with the students. I even got an autograph!! The best part of it all was that Mr. Mendoza told me that our program was one of the best he had visited.

Also this weekend was the annual AWS Car Show. I was unable to attend, but I heard that the event was a success.

Recent News and Accomplishments

1) Yesterday afternoon at the track meet, we had an all-automotive 1,2, 3 finish in one of the sprinting events!! Mr. Kessler reported that Geraldine Mueses finished first, Ben Aldinger finished 2nd, and Deante Weldon finished 3rd. 2) Currently, we have several Man/Tran students participating in the PA state competition of Skills USA at Hershey. The list includes: Chris Rodriguez (Collision Repair), Dillon Snider (Power Equipment), and Rachel Styers (Welding). Good luck to these and all the students throughout the school participating. We'd love to see everyone place well enough to go to the National Competition. 3) Today is a special day in the Weld shop. Not only are they getting ready for the annual AWS Car Show (their biggest fundraiser of the year), but they will also be blessed with a visit from the AWS president today.

Items to Note

- As of late last week, if you walk down the Collision Repair hallway in M/T, you will see this new sign hanging to direct students, staff and visitors to the Collision and Power Equipment shops. Thanks to our Welding students for making this sign for our technical areas. Now, each technical area in M/T has a sign made by the Welding students.

- On Tuesday, April 28, Mr. Kessler and two Auto students (Matt Moser and Carl Wildason) will travel to Altoona for the 2011 Ford/AAA PA State Student Auto Skills competition. The students were selected to participate based on their aptitude on a written test.

- Today is the last official day of PSSA testing!! I've seen the 11th graders doing a great job, and I look forward to seeing the scores come back in the summer.

Items from Around the Shops

With all of us waiting so patiently for the NOCTI scores to come in, other great things are happening in the shops this week:

1) On Tuesday, 3M visited our Collision Repair program, providing a wonderful presentation to the students.

2) Our Welding students have been given a very significant project by Harley to build racks to hold bumpers to assist those on the assembly line.

3) Today, a representative from Lincoln Tech visited to present scholarship money to the following students (who all placed at the Skills USA regional competition). Here is the list of honored Man/Tran students:

Nick Trout (Power Equipment) - $3,000
Chris Rodriguez (Collision Repair) - $2000
Garrett Brown (Power Equipment) - $3,000

Recent Athletic Highlights

Man/Tran students in Athletic News: 1) Friday - Abdiel Narvaez (Auto) pitched the home opener for the Spartan varsity baseball team. He held the other team to just a few runs and contributed offensively to the win as well. 2) Friday - Boys' track team wins the meet against 3 or 4 other teams. Luis Diaz (Collision) placed in multiple running events. 3) Monday - In the Varsity Softball team's loss to Littlestown yesterday, Dani Aikens (Metal Machining) contributed two doubles and two RBIs to the offensive attack.

Spring 2011 Meet the Team Night

This evening in the gym was a fantastic kick-off to the spring sports season. We (the folks in the crowd) were introduced to many of the members of the baseball, softball, girls' soccer (York Country Day) and boys' tennis (York Country Day). I only saw Man/Tran students represented on the baseball teams. They are: Pedro Rodriguez (Collision Repair), Kyle Noll (Welding), Evan Gardner (Welding), and Blake Crumbling (Diesel). Good luck to all spring athletes, and a special thanks to the Athletic Director, Mr. Caruso, for organizing the event.

Great Day for 11th graders

In addition to completing their graduation project presentations yesterday (Corin Sappe, Auto, was in a suit!), the 11th graders in Man/Tran had the opportunity to work in the technical area ALL DAY LONG! Most of them loved it! What was even better, though, were that several of the technival teachers took the time to explain the NOCTI exam tasks to these juniors in preparationg for their NOCTI test next year. Mr. Deatrick in Diesel was one of these instructors. Mr. Seitzer in Welding was another one. The picture above is the example of the best work produced by a 12th grader for the NOCTI exam. Those welds are fantastic, and they were completed by senior Tyler Kibler.

NOCTI Test

Yesterday, our 12th grade students completed the hands-on portion of the NOCTI exam. In the top picture, you can see a power equipment student being tested by one of the judges as observed by Mr. Gentzyel, Math teacher. In the bottom picture, you can see two Collision Repair students showing their skills on front ends. Most of our seniors took the test seriously, and I thinkt aht the results will come back in favor of improved NOCTI scores this year. When seniors return to school tomorrow, they will be scheduled a time to take the written portion in the Media Center.

Upperclassmen Only

This is just a reminder that Monday, 3/21/11, will only be a school day for 12th grade students to complete their NOCTI performance assessments. Over the past couple weeks, Mr. Heidler (Collision Repair Instructor) and Mr. Deatrick (Diesel Instructor) have had dedicated students (for example Steve Kondor - Collision, and Josh Hisey - Diesel) arriving as early as 6:30 am to practice their skills for this exam. How awesome! Thanks to the teachers for providing the additional time to the students for that purpose!

Tuesday, 3/22/11, will only be a school day for 11th grade students to complete their graduation project presentations in their technical area. Students spent a great deal of time working on these projects. This past week in particular, I saw extra effort from several Automotive students (Devin Eckert, Grant Nix, and Matt Moser) and Power Equipment student Daniel Pueltz to put the final touches on their projects. Good work, and I look forward to seeing the presentations on Tuesday.

Visit from Lincoln Tech

Yesterday, our Collison Repair and Auto Tech students were privileged enough to have a visit from Lincoln Tech. Pictured above is an alumni of Lincoln Tech demonstrating and facilitating air brush techniques. The other representative from Lincoln Tech also brought Dunkin Donuts for the students, so of course she was an instant friend of the shop! Thanks to TJ Bankert (the alumni) and Krystel Hubble, High School Admissions Representative for visiting with us, and we look forward to a return visit in the near future.

And the Testing Begins for 11th graders....

This week, PSSA testing for 11th graders will begin. This morning, there will be a short meeting with all 11th grade students to outline the incentives for scoring Proficient or above. Some of them include: a free parking pass, dress down days, no having to take a PSSA remediation course, etc.

Here are some test taking tips:

1) get plenty of rest the night before
2) eat a good breakfast
3) eliminate choices with each question that don't make sense

Do well, 11th graders! Show the skills you've built in Reading, Writing, Math and Science over the past several years.

Getting Prepared....

While 11th graders are preparing for the PSSA's and for presenting their graduation projects and the 12th graders are preparing for their NOCTI occupational exams, the new 9th and 10th grade students are getting the opportunity to complete their competencies. Pictured above are first year students in the Automotive and Metal Machine shops. Keep up the good work!

Friday after school was the annual All-School Bowling tournament. As you can see in the pictures above, there were many students who participated, and they all had a GREAT time! I saw two Man/Tran students, Chris Stauffer (Diesel) and Jesse White (Auto), having a fantastic time. I was trying to convince them both to join the bowling team next year, since they both had pretty good scores.

Honor Roll Social

In the pictures above, you see some of our Man/Tran students enjoying themselves at the Honor Roll Social. I'm very proud of these students who have demonstrated a high level of academic dedication in addition to the dedication in their technical programs. Congrats to all who earned the Honor Roll for the second marking period.

Hard at Work in Collision Repair

As you can see, students in the AM collision repair shop were busy at work. One very impressive thing I saw was an upperclassman, Chris Rodriguez, working with the 9th grade students during one of their first times in the paint booth.

Mr. Heidler also told me that for the next unit of study, he plans to have the students, in groups of 4, learn the material ahead of time and teach it to the rest of the class. That is going to be awesome! I can't wait to see some of those lessons!

Today is the Honor Roll Social during period 9. I hope to capture some photos of Man/Tran students enjoying themselves during a well-deserved break for earning a spot on the Honor Roll for the 2nd marking period.

Diesel Students Hard at Work

Yesterday was a typical Monday here at Tech. I was able to walk through all the shop areas and see our students hard at work. Above we see two students in the diesel shop working with an engine. Mr. Deatrick has done an amazing job this year in providing a solid, competency-based education for these students. He's been a great addition to our staff!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Wow, it feels like it's been forever since we've all been in school together! We have a busy 3 days ahead. Reminder for all: Tomorrow is 2nd semester Parent/Teacher conferences. The students are dismissed approximately 2 hours early so that we can host an afternoon session and an evening session of conferences. If you haven't yet signed up, it's not too late! Please call Ms. Brown at 741-0820 x5112 to schedule an appointment with your student's teachers.

Cross-Curricular Project

This awesome display was recently put up in Mrs. Abbott's classroom. She (along with Mrs. Dusman) teaches the subject of Geometry to many of our students here. Tyler Kibler (a welding student) created this display for Mrs. Abbott to post in her room. I love the linking of the technical area and the academics, which are just as important. I think this project is a great demonstration of linking these important types of learning.

Cool Toy

Not only do our Power Equipment students get to learn about repairing lawn equipment, boats and motorcycles, but they also get to work on fun toys too! Pictured above is one of our students who brought in a Christmas gift that he uses to get around town. He is using his knowledge of other small engines to apply to this machine that he owns. I did tell him that if he ever wanted to give it away to someone that I would be happy to take it! But seriously, it's great to see our students apply their knowledge in learning a profession AND in taking care of equipment that they themselves own.