ACT II student Ray is still working away on his senior project. This 1973 Camaro needed a lot of work but Ray has been very diligent about working on it and will have it done by the end of the school year. In auto body, you must be willing to stay on the job and finish tasks in order to be successful.

ACT I students Josh and Chris are seen welding in a rocker panel patch on Mr. Krock's truck. These two guys have been working everyday on this truck for the last three weeks and are just about ready to get the cab in primer. We still have a long way to go on this project but the students are confidant we will have it done by the end of the school year.

Sanding, sanding, sanding. We sand everything. ACT I student Lynne is sanding the side of Ryan's truck bed and getting it ready for primer. Lynne will then prep the side for primer and shoot three coats of primer surfacer on it to get it ready for what? More sanding. It will then be wet sanded to prep it for paint. It only takes about 30 minutes to actually paint the truck bed. It takes about 8 hours to repair it, sand it, prep it and sand it again.

ACT I student Jacob is seen during his MIG weld set up performance evaluation. Students must pass a hands on evaluation of skills needed in auto body. This particular test covers changing the wire in the welder and setting up the welder to weld steel. He has already passed his written test.

ACT II student Chris is seen welding aluminum in lab. Auto Collision students must learn to weld steel with a MIG welder and aluminum with this 220 volt Firepower welder. Welding is a skill that must be mastered to be a capable auto body technician. Students learn how welders work, terms used in welding and welding theory by doing textbook assignments and then go to the lab to practice stitch, spot, plug and continuous welds.

ACT II students Miles and Kendall are working on their bookwork in lab. Auto Collision is a Tech Prep program and bookwork is a big part of getting students ready to go on to Technical School or College. Our Auto Collision program has an articulation agreement with Owens College in Toledo in which students can earn up to 5 college credits while attending Hi Point.

ACT I student Josh shown putting the final sand to the windshield frame of Mr. Krock's truck. This truck has been a very large project and has required a lot of repair.

ACT I students Winston and Tyler shown sanding a customer's Z28 Camaro. This is an all over repair that will require A LOT of sanding. Sanding is a big part of auto body. We sand everything.

ACT I students Jacob, Ryan and Lynne shown working on Ryan's truck bed. They had to remove the bed from the truck to do some repairs and while it's off, Ryan will repair the cab corners. Auto Body is a dusty, sometimes physical job. You must be able to lift heavy objects and be able to work in a dirty, dusty environment.

ACT I student Josh shown putting the final touches to a steel wheel with metal plates used to mount the wheel to the shop wall. This wheel will be used as an air line hanger in the lab. That's one good thing about auto collision, we have the tools and materials to make anything we need out of steel! To be a good auto body technician you must have good mechanical skills and be able to follow directions. Free lancing and "Doing it your own way" just won't cut it.

State Patrol Trooper Hatcher shown talking to the Automotive labs about highway safety during our last CTSO day. Students asked questions concerning vehicle safety and laws. Trooper Hatcher donated his own time to come in and talk to the students.

ACT I students Dillon and KP seen working on the side of a Honda Civic Hatchback. Students must learn to work together in lab the same as they would at a body shop. Most Auto Collision shops have 2 departments - repair and paint. Technicians must work together to put out a quality product for the customer to ensure those customers keep coming back.