GREEN BAY (WLUK) — A high school automotive program is helping a group of students get revved up for their futures.
On Tuesday, six seniors from three Green Bay schools were recognized for graduating from the two-year City Stadium Automotive program. It’s a collaboration between East High School and the Green Bay Area Public School District, with students from Southwest and Preble also participating.
Each student will graduate with 28 or more college credits and a one-year technical diploma — all earned while still in high school. Officials say the students have completed or will complete the Automotive Maintenance Technician program and receive college credits to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.
After graduating from high school, the students will be equipped to pursue a two-year Automotive Technician technical diploma or an Automotive Technology associate degree at NWTC.
“Today is a celebration of all the hard work and dedication that these students have shown since being accepted into this program,” said instructor Ben Hendricks. “It takes them two years to earn what a college student would earn over their first year.”
Hendricks explained how the course works, meshing high school with college.
They spend about 2.5 hours a day with me over two years, so their junior year is really like the first semester of college, and then their senior year would be like their second semester of college. And then when they leave here, they can move right into their second year of college… so that’s really cool.
In addition to learning how to work on and fix cars, students are also taught how to interact with customers, make appointments and repair orders and look up vehicle parts and service information.
Colton Dean, a student from East High School, said he has loved automotive since he was a child and jumped at the chance to partake in the City Stadium Automotive program.
“I’ve always been interested in cars. My dad had cool cars growing up, so that was kind of a big inspiration for me. I have my own cars that I like to mess around with myself,” Dean said.
He currently works at Gandrud Chevrolet and plans to continue doing so while he finishes his degree at NWTC.
“I’m very grateful for everything that I have and all the opportunities that I’ve gotten. It feels awesome. So many people don’t get the opportunity that I get and I’m just very grateful for it,” added Dean.