The Automotive Technology program at Saline High School as part of the South & West Washtenaw Consortium has had a lot of success.

From students learning skills and finding a career path to it being honored at the state and national levels, there’s one big reason why the program is one of the best in Michigan, and that is Mr. Timoszyk.

Saline Area Schools took some time out of its April 23 Board of Education to recognize Tim Timoszyk, who has been teaching for the past 36 years at SHS. He’s getting ready to retire, so the school district wanted to honor him for his work, positive impact and efforts.

SAS Superintendent Stephen Laatsch cited Timoszyk’s long career, which started when he was a student teacher at SHS in 1987. He went on to become a long-time teacher in Saline.

The Automotive Technology program he’s helped lead is divided into two areas.

The first course in which the student applies the principles and functions of components as they pertain to automotive systems, where they learn the three major areas of study including a light service unit, automotive electrical systems and braking systems.

The second course is an advanced study of topics covered in the prerequisite course, plus additional instruction in five areas of study with the major areas of concentration on steering and suspension, engine performance and driveability, manual transmission and drive axle, automatic transmission and heating and air-conditioning.

Laatsch cited the number of times students from this program achieved success in state and national competitions. The program produced over 40 state winners and eight national contestants in the Skills USA competitions, and in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition, the program earned seven state titles and at the national level they had five top 10 finishes and two second place finishes.

Of the many things over the years, Timoszyk said he was proud of how the students and program were able to successfully help families since 2004 through the Adopt-a-Family program. He said they helped over 30 families.

Another point of pride was the connection the program developed over the years with the Automotive Youth Educational System program, which in part helped students learn the basics of auto technology and gave them opportunities to work as interns at local auto dealerships. Timoszyk said this on-the-job training helped prepare many students for a career.

As for the success he’s had and the impact he’s made, Timoszyk said a big reason for that was because he was always surrounded and still is by outstanding people. He cited Karl Roscoe, Mary Howley-Visel and the different career tech directors over the years as some of those who helped him have a positive impact.

At the school board meeting, there were a handful of people who spoke about Timoszyk. One was former student and SHS 2011 graduate Ryan Hastings. He cited Timoszyk as having a big influence on him and his career path, which now has him owning his own auto shop in Manchester. He said much of his career can be traced back to the classes he took at Saline High.

Hastings said Timoszyk was and is a dedicated teacher.

Speaking before the board, Timoszyk said his job was to do the best he could to educate the kids in his program.

“I want to thank Saline Area Schools for the opportunity to influence students in a positive way for the last 36 years,” Timoszyk said.