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Fall 2025 Transportation Today Wisconsin™ | 15

Hands-On Learning at Holmen Auto Service

School District of Holmen is awesome to see the
A HUGE shoutout and THANK
It's the start of another school day inside students complete a YOU to Dave Sherden for his incredible
Holmen High School, and a few students of Ryan task they thought was donation to the Holmen High School auto-
Ziegler's Auto Service 1 class are already hard impossible on their motive classes!
at work helping a teacher whose tire is leaking own." Dave generously donated his beloved
while others spend time hunched under the hood One group of stu- 2001 Volvo XC70 to our program as a
testing car batteries. dents in the class are project car for students to work on and
Auto Service 1 is a semester course of 85 working on a battery hone their vehicle repair skills. This car
minutes daily, mainly consisting of juniors and testing lab. The students will be a fantastic hands-on tool for our
seniors. These high school students are learning are learning how to load students as they build their knowledge and
with professional tools on actual vehicles with test a battery, measure confidence in automotive maintenance.
real problems. Auto Service is also a dual credit parasitic drain, remove We are so grateful for your support,
class with Western Technical College and pro- corrosion, and check Dave—our classes will make great use of
vides students with three post-secondary credits. physical connections this car!
This allows our students to earn high school to ensure a working
and technical college credit simultaneously and battery. "The students
receive their Auto Service Excellence (ASE) cer- • Charging and starting system: measuring walk away with a solid Mr. Ziegler uses this as a teaching moment for
tification at the completion of the course. voltage drops and amperage outputs understanding of the basic automotive systems," his class about snow tires and how to commu-
In this class, students learn about these • Ignition system: replacing ignition wires, says Ziegler. "All of the students learn how to nicate with customers. "Throughout the course
systems by repairing and diagnosing issues: coils, and plugs maintain their own vehicle." sequence, students will learn how to communi-
• Wheel systems and tires: mount and • Cooling system: coolant flow, thermostat Another group of students is helping out cate with customers and coworkers. Some of that
balance tires, tire puncture repair, tire rota- replacement, coolant flush a Holmen High School teacher whose tire has communication is done by the use of industry
tion • Fuel system: fuel volume and pressure a slow leak. To find the leak, students have to software. Another way is teaching the students
• Brakes and ABS system: replacing brake tests, fuel filter replacement put their problem-solving skills to the test. "The how to listen to customer concerns actively,"
most important thing I would like them to take
pads, measuring thickness, bleeding brake Technology Education teacher, Ryan away is the problem-solving ability. Use the says Ziegler.
lines, diagnosing ABS sensors Ziegler, says this type of hands-on learning helps problem-solving process to simplify the problem
• Preventative maintenance fluid: complet- prepare students for the real world, "The students and quickly come up with a viable solution,"
ing checklists, fluid flush, and exchanges, love hands-on learning," said Ziegler. "They can says Ziegler as the students dip the tire in a dunk www.holmen.k12.wi.us
customer concerns repeat the process until they can complete the tank to locate the leak. Finding no visible leak,
task with little to no help from the instructor. It

Turn your hobby urn your hobby
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into a career!o a career!
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Western Technical Collegeestern Technical College offers students offers students
hands-on
hands-on skills for a profession you will love. skills for a profession you will love.

Why choose Western?
• State-of-the-art facilities
• Experienced Instructors

• Industry Certifications
• Flexible Learning Options

Apply now at: westerntc.edu/apply