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Jack’s Journal: Students Building A Car

If you remember back in December, I visited the Wexford-Missaukee Career Tech Center and met some great kids and staff.  They had a goal: get a car built in time for an April fundraiser for the local Rotary club.

 Back then, they had done well but still had a long way to go. Flash forward to early April, and the 1965 Cobra replica was looking really good!

So according to the lead instructor, how have they done?

“Fantastic, couldn’t be more proud,” says David Mackey.

And so it went, each tiny detail followed by another.  With guidance from area professionals, the students learned and they did.  What was a big learning experience?

“Patience, taking your time, making sure to pay attention to detail,” says student Seth Medendort.  

Seth wants to continue on in a career in automotive and say’s he learned a lot.

The car will be raffled off on Friday the 29th and tickets are available from Cadillac Rotarians. 

The car started off as a kit and was a donation of local business man Gus Meyjus. He and Dave Mackey had been looking for a way to get the kids involved and they hit a gold mine.

“They bought into it. You’ve got kids here who were here during spring break, every day this week.  After school and on weekends. As one of my students said, ‘what an opportunity, you get to build this as a 17-year-old kid’. They’ve bought into it. It’s been fun,” says Mackey.

It’s figured with all the classes, 45 kids have put in over 700 man hours, and the Cobra will be ready for its new owner.