Page 17 - TTMNWinter2025

Automotive
Teaching Today Minnesota | Winter 2025 Page 17

RAHS Auto Shop Provides Career Experience and Affordable Services

RAHS auto mechanics course] is a student- cheap, Sopcinski acknowl-
run program, open to juniors and seniors, edged a potential downside is
no experience required, but sophomores the time it takes to repair the
need to take small engines to take the auto car. He said, “Our motto is we
mechanic class. We need a level of matu- are cheap, but we are slow.
rity in the classroom, and that’s the entire It is expensive to fix a car
reason I have the auto mechanic classes regardless, but for example
open to juniors and seniors, but Roseville our front brake job, a pretty
[Area High School] has one of the best auto standard service, comes out
shops in the country, which is great for the to be $240-280, but you bring
students.” it to a professional, it’s going
To learn about cars, RAHS students can to come out to $480, but we
take Know Your Car, Small Engines, and will need the car for two days.
Auto Mechanic, which can go up to Auto Like I said, we are cheap but
Mechanics Five. slow, but it is ⅓ cheaper as a
There is a process for training students whole.”
before they start working on customer’s Business for the auto
cars. Sopcinski said, “My auto mechanics shop ranges, as Sopcinski sees how many classes, but we are trying to do what they do
one class is primarily training for the trimes- cars his students can handle. He said, “I try in woodshop classes and try to run a girls’
ter, and [student mechanics] aren’t going and get just enough, I mean if Channel 4 only class, if girls sign up. If you look at my
to go into the shop until the last few weeks news wanted to do a story here, that would roster, it will be all boys and maybe one or
two girls, and I don’t blame them.”
Roseville Area Schools of the trimester.” After students train, they be great but I know my phone would be RAHS auto shop has a Facebook, called
RAHS auto shop provides services on can jump back into working on cars after a ringing off the hook, and we can’t service Raider Auto Shop, where they post updates
review of safety procedures.
that many cars, so I keep it to community
cars of Roseville’s students and community The RAHS Auto Shop offers light to members, and people in the ISD 623 area.” and pictures, check them out here: https://
members, for reduced prices — by having medium maintenance and repairs on auto- The benefits of taking these classes www.facebook.com/raiderauto
trained students work on them. mobiles. These services, as Sopcinski said range from being educated in car knowledge This article was written by Naima
Teacher Kenneth Sopcinski teaches stu- include: oil changes, brakes and suspen- to finding a career in this area. Sopcinski Sheikh-Mohamed, Editor-in-Chief for The
dents about cars in many different classes at sions, coolant changes, and tire services, or said, “It depends on what their goals are. I Ville (Roseville High School Student News-
RAHS, some open to only upperclassmen any light that pops on the dashboard. have had students who take this and realize paper)
but others open to all grades. He said, “[the
Although these services are relatively they really didn’t know what they wanted to
do in life, and they did this and they loved it
and wanted to do it.”
Sopcinski finds it hard promoting his www.isd623.org
classes to female-identifying students. He
said, “We really like to get more girls in our

Montevideo High School Small

Engines Program

Continued from Page 1
Our business partner has assisted by ning career pathway in order to feed their
providing quality equipment to update our workforce needs and was willing to come
current small engines shop. They have pro- alongside us and make an investment.
vided guidance on curriculum and were Our growing district of more than 1,400
present in the classroom, hands-on to assist students in grades PreK-12th are served
students with technical questions. in five locations; The Hawks Nest Early
Finding an employer who is inter- Childhood Center, Ramsey and Sanford Ele-
ested in developing their future workforce mentaries, Montevideo Middle School and
is key. The relationship with the school and Montevideo High School. These buildings
employers must have consistent and open are home to more than 300 extraordinary
communication. What makes this project educators whose purpose for coming to
successful is that all parties are open to work each day is to help students achieve
doing this differently if it produces the best their dreams.
outcome for the students. For example,
mechanics from the dealer coming into the
classroom to troubleshoot with students and
the teacher being open to changing their cur- montevideoschools.org
riculum and trusting the employer partner.
It’s also important to find an employer who
has resources and people they are willing to
allocate to a project like this. Our partner
recognizes the importance of this begin-