Ginny Gnadt
Senior Public Relations Specialist
(414) 297-6770, gnadtv@matc.edu
Grafton High Schoolers Take Top Honors in Statewide Auto Repair Contest; Win Scholarships to Ford ASSET Associate Degree Program at MATC's Mequon Campus
MEQUON, Wis. (May 13, 2011) ─ Mitchell R. Sommerfeldt and Ryan R. Stauske, students from Grafton High School, won the statewide hands-on auto repair competition at Milwaukee Area Technical College's Mequon Campus May 12. They won scholarships from Ford Motor Company to attend the Ford ASSET (Automotive Student Service Educational Training) Program at MATC's Mequon Campus. The ASSET Program, offered by MATC in partnership with Ford and Ford-Lincoln-Mercury dealerships, leads to a two-year associate degree in automotive service technology.
Along with their instructor, Carl Hader, they also will receive a free trip to the national finals in Detroit, Mich.
Top student auto repair technicians from 10 Wisconsin high schools squared off in the 90-minute contest. Teams of two seniors or juniors raced the clock to fix problems planted in Ford Motor Company vehicles. Hertz Rental Corporation supplied 10 2012 Ford Mustangs with 3.7 liter engines bugged with identical defects.
The Mequon competition served as the state finals in the 18th annual Auto Skills Challenge, sponsored by Ford and the American Automobile Association. Teams earned points for the speed and quality of their work. Finalists were selected based on a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction exam. Test scores and hands-on performance determined the winners.
All participants are offered partial scholarships to MATC or other automotive programs across the U.S. This year’s state finalists represented the following high schools: Arrowhead (Hartland), Badger (Lake Geneva), Grafton, Hendricks Center for Automotive Technologies at Beloit High School, James Madison Memorial (Madison), McFarland, Portage Senior, Sauk Prairie, Stoughton and Washington Park (Racine).
Jesse A. Monroe and Zack S. Weglarz of Badger High School took second place, and Sauk Prairie High School's David G. Breunig and Eric J. Kessenich finished third.
For information on MATC's automotive technology comprehensive associate degree programs, see
http://matc.edu/student/offerings/autotechaas.html
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