As a student at Montville High School, I have seen a steady decline in interest in our tech electives.

I first noticed last year when a friend (and fellow wrestler) Zack Navarte asked me to sign a petition to keep our electric car program. Daniel Healy, who runs a portion of our tech ed classes, could not offer the program due to the lack of interest.

Zack had begun collecting names to keep the class, as well as work with five others to build and race the electric car at a competition in Lyme Rock. However, the petition didn’t generate enough support.

Zack and several others were disappointed.

“I thought it would have been a good chance to work with others and introduce us to the critical thinking involved with engineering,” said Zack during our discussion about why he started the petition.

This year Douglas Wheeler, the senior internship coordinator and business/technical education department chair, had sought out potential internships for his students. While doing so he met with Shawn Strom, event specialist manager for SuperCcarged Go-Kart Racing. Wheeler had proposed a collaboration to spark more interest in the school’s technical education opportunities.

Supercharged agreed to give an old “go-kart” to the school as a model for the project. Strom explained in an interview, “I agreed to work with the school for the benefit of the students and to help/support their Tech Ed program.”

For the time being the car will be displayed in the senior court, located by the main office with information about the class.

“There are a lot of manufacturing jobs available for students after high school. Technical education classes give those students a jump on those jobs,” Wheeler said.

The plan is to take this opportunity to educate students. General Dynamics Electric Boat Division and other major manufacturing companies can bring in students who are familiar with the processes involved once they are out of high school. This gives a window of opportunity for students to separate themselves from competition in a growing field.

Our school is part of the EB Summer High School Internship Program, SHIP. According to an information poster for EB internships, EB will accept applications from junior students. The internship provided is a six-week paid summer program which is an excellent start for upperclassmen.

Many students are unaware of this, and having skills from the tech department increases your chances of getting in. Students who go through the program can even get hired and EB will cover your tuition after the senior year.

This along with the other benefits provoked Healy to appeal to the Technical Student Association for a new club. The club would provide students with an inside look at how the electric car industry works.

Students could also compete with the electric cars by racing them on Supercharged tracks. The club would both be educational and fun, thus attracting students to partake in the activities and the electric car class.

Strom’s involvement in the club would provide the students with a once-a-week visit. When asked about expanding the opportunity to other schools, he said he wants to see how Montville’s program goes first.

Healy explained the electric car program is not the only class available. Other classes such provide college credit.

For students interested in engineering, these other classes are a way to get exposure to the kinds of work they will do in the future. With an aware student body, people can really open their doors and get real-life experience.

Jayden Colon is a student at Montville High School.