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OGDEN — Some students at Bonneville High School received top honors for their skills in auto mechanics.
The program there now has the title of Top Shop in the nation from O'Reilly Auto Parts and WIX Filters. The award came with $10,000 for the program.
High school accolades don't all look the same. They're not always about sports or academics.
"This is one of our designs. It says, 'We void warranties,'" student Monica Hernandez said, laughing. "It's a little intimidating, but it's like a great opportunity."
Gaining those skills may require a certain amount of trust.
"Because what other high school is letting their students work on the principal's truck?" Hernandez said with a chuckle.
It's those hands-on skills that are getting students in the auto mechanics program at Bonneville High School some big honors.
O'Reilly Auto Parts and Wix filters gave the program the Top Shop title on Tuesday.
"Oh my gosh, I don't even know where to start," instructor Adam Arndt said. "We do 42 projects. These are being run by students. They are working with industry and I'm just that middle person to help them go, 'Oh yeah, we should do that differently.'"
The students say Arndt is usually watching from up above in his office, letting them do the bulk of the work, and that's what he said really makes this program award-winning.
It is, in many ways, the way he connected with cars.
"I went through education in the special ed program. I was deemed non-learning," Arndt said. His passion for auto mechanics changed that. "Throughout my time, I was able to prove them wrong by opening a shop and running an industry. And when that time came up, I was like, 'OK, now it's time to give back.'"
He's giving through some of that shared experience and personal growth.
"The thought of just being able to do what I love and get paid for it too is like, and to be able to support people with it like my family is a, like, a great opportunity," he said.
Several students like Hernandez also earned scholarships and will graduate with professional certifications.
