It’s not the result of a bitter inheritance settlement. The San
Benito High School automotive technology program is delighted to
get a car that has been sliced in half.
It’s not the result of a bitter inheritance settlement. The San Benito High School automotive technology program is delighted to get a car that has been sliced in half.
The Sequoia Institute, a prominent vocational school in Fremont, donated the club car to the high school. The semi-vehicle will be used for students to learn diagnostic techniques, according to SBHS auto shop teacher Tom Agan.
“It’s very difficult staying current with technology and training,” Agan said. “It’s pretty special; it’s pretty cool.”
Five representatives of the Sequoia Institute presented the vehicle – which was once the front half of a 1999 Ford Escort – to the high school Friday afternoon. Agan and Principal Karen Schroder accepted the donation.
Agan, who has taught at SBHS for 18 years and is currently the lone automotive teacher, also sits on the advisory committee for the Sequoia Institute, which prepares its graduates for careers in automotive technology, heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration.
“They (the Sequoia Institute) deemed our program worthy of this donation,” Agan said. “San Benito has one of the most outstanding high school (auto shop) programs in the area.”
Len Lenery, a high-school admissions representative from the institute, also invited representatives from Monterey-based Skip Barber Racing to talk about the benefits of working in the automotive industry.
Lenery said the Sequoia Institute donated the car because of Agan’s devotion to the high school program, as well as consistent interest in auto education from students.
“He challenges those kids,” Lenery said. “We’d like to recognize that.”
Agan said he hopes the club car will last for five to seven years. Any longer would be far-fetched, he said, because “technology gets a little outdated.”
The automotive technology program, which is part of the SBHS vocational sciences department, has received donations in the past from local businesses such as Tiffany Ford and Hollister Garage, Agan said.
“I know it just looks like half a car, but it’s going to be valuable,” Agan said.
