Page 1 - MTWISummer2024

Special Double iSSue

Summer/Back to School 2024
TEACHING TRANSPORTATION

TODAY WI ™ TODAY WI

WISCONSIN’S 4K–12 EDUCATION CONNECTION SINCE 1997 YOUr WISCONSIN TrANSPOrTATION CONNECTION

Washington Island Team Avoid ‘Braking’ the Bank: PHS

Finishes 19th in World Auto Shop Will Service Cars

had to pick up, carry and Gabe Meredith, staff
place items in specific Hi-Lights (student newspaper)
locations. Plymouth High School
The team finished One of the major aspects of the auto shop
25th in the pool navigat- is that students and teachers are welcome to
ing an obstacle course bring their vehicles in and perform work on
and their technical them. If the students are in auto tech or basic
design report was judged auto, they can repair the vehicles themselves.
43rd out of 71. If the students aren’t in either automotive
Kinsey participated class, then they are able to have the auto tech
on a Washington Island students repair/maintain the vehicle for them.
team the previous school The most common way that students can
year that did not advance bring their cars or trucks into the auto shop is by
to the state champion- directly asking automotive technology teacher
ships, but she learned Beau Biller, or by having a student in auto
from that experience.
Washington Island students Tug and Marlie work on their Remote tech ask him. The teacher’s preferred method
Operated Vehicle for Sea Perch competition. Her team the previ- of bringing their cars in is calling Mr. Biller or
ous year built an ROV emailing him. The only requirement to get a
For the third year in a row, Wisconsin’s with a triangular V-wing design that happened
smallest school qualified a team for the inter- to have too much weight on one corner, making vehicle worked on is to supply the proper parts
national finals for design, development and it difficult to pick up objects. The previous year, or things that are being replaced when necessary.
maneuvering of a Remote Operated Vehicle her team had an ROV with a hook designed to The auto shop does tire jobs, fluid checks,
(ROV). pick up some objects that had loops on them, but part replacements/fixing, transmission swaps/ having a lot of tasks and activities to be com-
The Washington Island Fast and Furious it was unable to pick up a Wiffle ball. Kinsey repairs, overall checks/assessments, and other pleted, there is much to like about the class.
team was the top middle school team out of substituted the hook with a dowel rod, which automotive activities. There is a wide variety of Most auto tech students enjoy working on
two from Wisconsin and finished 19th out of was able to pick up all objects when she or a tools and students who are capable of many dif- vehicles. “My favorite part of auto tech is that it
71 teams from all over the world in the inter- teammate manipulated the ROV correctly. ferent jobs to fix the vehicle. doesn’t feel like school and it’s an escape of the
national Sea Perch finals. Washington Island This year, Kinsey’s group built a “utility” There are many different benefits of bring- mind,” said senior Leyton Schaefer. The aspect
teams finished 14th in the world in 2022 and ROV, “more of a box shape,” out of PVC pipe, ing trucks and cars into the auto shop. “It’s nice of spending all class doing hands-on work is one
22nd in 2023. elbows and T-shaped fittings. The new Fast and for students to bring vehicles in because it’s less of the reasons why auto tech is a popular class.
The Washington Island team, includ- Furious team’s design had better balance than expensive and it’s the best way for students to Other auto tech students have their favorite
ing fifth-grader Marlie, sixth-grader Tug, and the one her team built the previous year, and also learn about automotive technology and get a parts of working on vehicles. “My favorite part
eighth-grade team captain Kinsey, had the best she and her teammates were able to create better general understanding of auto maintenance,” said of working on different vehicles is the differ-
finish ever by a team from the island on one of buoyancy due to where they located pieces of Mr. Biller. ence between them and the variation between the
the challenges. The group finished fifth in the pool noodles over the plastic-pipe frame. Since the auto shop handles many varying alternative vehicles,” said senior Dylan Andrews.
world in the middle school “mission challenge,” Marlie, a fifth-grade student, was assigned models and brands, there is a lot to learn and do. Getting skills in automotive repair and mainte-
in which the operators had to drive the remote- “My favorite part of teaching auto tech is doing nance can help students with their future careers
control underwater device they built and then different things every day and it’s always a new
Continued on Page 4 task or problem to solve,” said Mr. Biller. By Continued on Page 32

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