Teens trick out hot rods, repair cars in LAHS auto shop class
By Megan Ma, Town Crier Staff Writer
 Rachel Schuman charges a battery in one of the class vehicles. |
Auto shop class is in session at Los Altos High School, and the popular and gregarious teacher Greg Ely is busily preparing while a stream of chattering students filters in. The large, well-organized garage that is the classroom is marked by personal touches - nostalgic reminders of simpler times. Classic car models line the shelves, and a “Death before Disco” shirt is neatly flattened on one wall. Hand-made posters deliver safety instructions to the young mechanics: “Are the lug nuts tight? Is the drain pipe tight?”
Every year, experienced auto shop students who have taken at least three quarters of the class get the chance to showcase their hard work and knowledge. On May 21, six high school students with their class hot rods will face off against professional car enthusiasts and their cars at the Duel at De Anza racetrack competition in Cupertino. Two-hundred-thirty vehicles - from vintage Porsches to more fiercely tricked-out drag-racers will compete. Judges will evaluate drivers’ handling and maneuvering abilities.
Michael Brandt, director of the De Anza College auto-tech program, spoke highly of the LAHS auto shop.
“Greg is a very enthusiastic guy and his energy feeds students,” he said. “They start off with an older car and fix it up. Is it a championship car? No, but you can’t afford to do that in terms of safety.”
Ely gives his students the game plan for the morning: These parts have come in and this work needs to be done.
Though the drivers in the competition will rarely top speeds of 40 mph on the small racetrack, Ely stressed that safety comes first. He prepares his students by drilling them on the mechanical basics. Like a professional racing team owner, Ely tells his crew how he wants the cars set up.
“It’s about providing the best possible product for the driver with no mechanical problems. I want these cars prepped just like those cars there,” Ely said, referring to a video of a professional NASCAR racetrack crew.
When it isn’t racing season, the class garage is run like a professional mechanics shop, complete with current diagnostic and repair equipment and a computer to generate orders and keep track of inventory.
Funding for the class has been relatively good in the last 10 years, thanks in part to resourcefulness and community help. Auto repair companies, smaller mechanics garages and residents have donated most of the equipment used in the class. Auto shop students learn the basics on cars given by teachers and students.
Steady attendance in the class allows the school district to keep pumping money into the program. “The classes are pretty successful, so we have enough money to keep going,” said Ely.
For three class periods each day, the scene is frantic yet orderly. After a quick prep talk highlighting some of the rules of the competition, Ely organizes his crew. Like an officious shop manager, Ely, a professional mechanic of 28 years, commands respect from his diverse group of 30 students.
“You guys got four minutes before it rains,” he said. “That car should be up in the air, wheels pulled, get it on the smog machine. No drops, no screw-ups, nothing.” The students scatter to work on the competition’s three race cars - a Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger and Chevy Nova.
Some students know more and take charge while others lend a hand with a wrench or peek under the hood to inspect the engines.
Throughout the year, auto shop class remains a steadfast team effort. From painting graphics on race cars to changing tires and testing brakes, no one sits idly by, Ely said.
Girls make up a major part of the teamwork and leadership challenges of the auto shop. Although auto mechanics has been perceived as a masculine activity relying on brawn, Ely said that every student makes a unique contribution to the class.
“They both have equal knowledge,” he said. “Girls tend to have a better attention to detail, while the guys can lift heavy parts. We try to find the best talent and apply it to what we’ve got.”
While allowing students to take initiative, Ely is an energetic and involved presence. He agily meanders through a row of cars to where two students are debating the best way of tightening a wheel into place. Grabbing a pickle fork, Ely knocks the taper on the wheel into a groove using a hammer-like tool with several hard knocks. The students look impressed.
Across the room, other students are recharging a car battery and adjusting newly installed seats in a car. One of a handful of female students, junior Rachel Schuman said she’s taking auto shop class for practical reasons.
“I can apply what I’ve learned to the cars at home, whether it’s changing oil or a headlight bulb,” she said. “If you’re on the road and something happens, at least you’re not completely in the dark.”
Michael Orton, a freshman at UC San Diego, took Ely’s class for two years and said it inspired him to major in mechanical engineering. He came back to visit and chat with former classmates.
“It was my favorite class,” Orton said. “Ely lets kids get really involved and allows room for improvising - fixing problems in an unconventional way.” Orton learned to construct his own parts, even rebuilding an engine at Ely’s request.
The class is sometimes perceived as a dumping ground for students who are not succeeding in their academic classes, but Ely prefers to think of it as a gateway to other kinds of knowledge:
“It opens their minds and the door to other fields. We have kids here from all over the board, from ESL and special-ed to kids in AP classes. It gives them a chance to see the actual physics behind what they’re learning in (the classroom).”
The authentic experience of a mechanics garage is also good for students who are not pursuing the traditional college route, he said.
But the most important thing about auto shop for the students, said Ely with a grand sweep of his arms, is: “It’s fun.”
To donate a vehicle, parts and equipment to the auto shop program at Los Altos High, call Greg Ely at 960-8852.
The Duel at De Anza is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21. Parking is available at lots A,B and C. Admission is free. For more information, call Michael Brandt at (408) 864-8527.
