GLADSTONE, Mich. (WLUC) – Auto shop students at Gladstone High School learn more than just how to change oil; they also learn how to navigate real world situations.
Gladstone High School junior Blake Lesnieski says he doesn’t have to go to a mechanic for car repairs.
“It’s really nice to have all this experience because then, when my own car breaks down and I start hearing it make a noise, it’s like I already know what I need to do,” Lesnieski said.
This year, auto shop students are bringing a 2013 Ford F-150 donated by JM Longyear back to life.
“It spent a lot of time in the woods on logging roads and it was pretty used up,” shop teacher Mark Cousineau said. “There were a few things that needed to be done to it.”
Cousineau says the students started working on the truck last spring.
“We’ve done quite a bit,” Gladstone senior Gavin Frossard said. “We’ve put fender flares on it. We ground all the rust off the frame. Sprayed it with rust protectant. I put a new water pump in it. It’s got a new fuel pump.”
Gladstone High School Principal Andy Jacques says the students are learning more skills than how to remove rust and replace parts.
The work also includes ordering the replacement parts. Lesnieski says he regularly calls O‘Reilly and Chatfields, a professional interaction many high schoolers won’t get until later in life.
“I had to make calls to both of those places so many times for this truck,” Lesnieski said.
The conversations are valuable communication skills that will be needed when the junior reaches his goal of owning his own shop.
Jacques says the shop itself serves an important purpose in guiding the young students through life.
“There are so many kids right now that struggle in a classroom,” Jacques said. “But the moment they get in here and they start using their hands, they are the top student and it’s so cool to see. It’s finally given the kids a place to go and a place that they feel is home.”
The truck isn‘t ready for the road just yet, but it’s getting close. Lesnieski says the first time the engine turned over was “awesome!”
“When you first turned the key and you hear the fuel pump start going, that’s when you know, oh crap, it might actually start,” Lesnieski said. “Then, Gavin turned the key over and the truck roared to life.”
The truck will be sold when repairs are done. The money will be re-invested in the students’ next repair job. The students also earn money for the shop by doing oil changes for staff and community members.
Call Gladstone High School at 906-428-9200 to donate a vehicle or to learn how to schedule an oil change.
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