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Highland Parade Vehicles Come from Demolitions
published April 23, 2014Cutline: Justin Hoskins stands with Hummer he restored as part of his Auto Collision classwork at the Highland Community College Technical Center.
Highland Parade Cars Come from Demolitions
For several years, Highland Community College president David Reist had the idea that a catchy looking car would make an excellent parade vehicle to attract attention to the College. When the Northeast Kansas Technical College decided to merge with Highland, he saw his opportunity. Reist visited with the faculty in the Automotive Technology and Collision programs to keep their eyes open for a possible vehicle. Those programs buy demolished vehicles at auction for a low cost and use them for students to work on as part of the hands-on approach to technical education the programs offer. It can take up to year for the students to rehab the wrecked vehicles.
As a result, the College now has two parade vehicles – a restored bright yellow Toyota FJ and a steel blue Hummer that both proudly display the work accomplished by students in the programs under the supervision of instructors Randy Culbertson in Auto Collision and Mike Clark in Auto Tech. Justin Hoskins, a student from Shawnee, spent the majority of the year working to restore the Hummer.
“These vehicles have proven to be so much more than the parade vehicles I initially envisioned. They are actually a reflection of the quality of the technical programs -- the quality of our instructors and students in those programs. These are not just some cars for the students to tinker with. Rather they provide an opportunity to learn and then an opportunity to showcase the work-ready skills the students have acquired. These are award-winning entries in area car shows. They are a source of pride, not only for the students and faculty in the technical programs, but for the entire College. So, when members of the public see these vehicles, they can know that they are seeing an end product of their tax dollars at work – an end product that makes these students highly attractive to business and industry.”
