Schools

Saline's Tommy Michaluk and Evan Fischbach Take Second in National Automotive Competition

After winning the Michigan title, the Saline High School students represented Michigan in the national Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition.

Two recent Saline High School graduates placed second in a national automotive contest.

Thomas Michaluk and Evan Fishcbach represented Saline High School and the state of Michigan at the 63rd annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills held in Dearborn in June. They were coached by Saline High School and South & West Washtenaw Consortium teacher Timothy Timoszyk.

Michaluk and Fischbach became the third straight Saline High School team to take first in the Michigan state final of the annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition, held April 25 at the Macomb Community College Expo Center in Warren.  

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The national contest was won by Bryce Baks and Jedediah Redger, of Newton High School, in Newton, KS.

With nearly $12 million in scholarship prizes in the balance, state winners gathered at the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn to solve "real world" automotive challenges – both digital and mechanical – in a timed competition that required a quick mind and steady hands as top auto students worked with wrenches and computers alike. The finish topped off a banner year for the competition, which set several milestones in 2012, including a record number of students, instructors and schools participating, as well as the highest number of female competitors in event history.

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Beginning with a shotgun start, the student competitors (all paired in two-person teams) raced to their vehicles to review a work order that challenged them to diagnose and repair a number of purposefully placed "bugs" ranging from digital to mechanical and electrical. Once the repairs were completed, it was a race to shut the hood, fire up the engine and steer the vehicle across the finish line – where a scrutinizing judging team awaited.

The victory in Michigan resulted in $32,000 in scholarship prizes for the two students, who also took home top honors in the written exam of the contest.

 

 


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