For any students interested in a class where they will learn skills to last them a lifetime, Consumer Auto may be a good choice. In this class, students can expect to learn about the basics of vehicle maintenance, such as oil changes and break jobs.

“We spend a lot of time looking at general automotive maintenance, which is really good for anybody that wants or needs to own a car,” Tech Ed teacher Justin Aulie said.

Junior Hunter Kerska thinks this class is a great opportunity for students, even if they don’t have basic car knowledge, due to how useful it is in everyday life. He says you learn how to “do it yourself” as well as learning shop safety and how to use many common tools.

Kerska is a returning student to the technology wing of the school and says he’s glad to be back in school everyday of the week because of how much more material can be taught, especially in the shop classes.

“It’s a really cool environment. Plus there’s lots of tools you wouldn’t usually be able to have access to,” Kerska said.

As well as to work on his own vehicle and his friends’ vehicles, junior Myles Hartley uses the skills practiced in this class for his job. He works at Lakeside Towing in South Range where he prepares cars to be scrapped.

Hartley also plans on working with vehicles for his future career. 

“I plan on going to [Northwoods Technical College] or some other technical college to learn diesel mechanics and pursue that.”

As for the future, everyone is hopeful that Consumer Auto and the school’s tech ed wing will continue to grow and develop.

“I strongly encourage all students to sign up for Tech Ed classes, as they build life skills,” Aulie said.