For the magazine Review

Parke Heritage High School celebrated the opening of its new state-of-the-art automotive technology building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday. Located in the rear of the school, this modern facility is set to become a cornerstone of Wabash River’s career and technical education program.

The building features eight spacious workstations and offers students an exceptional environment for hands-on learning and acquiring a variety of automotive skills.

Classes will be taught by Ed Kutch and Corey Newnum in the new classroom space that is part of the building. Kutch’s experience at Chrysler Motors and Newnum’s dual background in business and his family’s auto repair shop create a unique blend of perspectives that students will benefit from.

“Kutch and Newnum bring a wealth of knowledge to the classroom,” said Craig Newby, WRCTE program director. “This new facility will help grow our program and prepare our students for the workforce. Auto mechanics are an in-demand profession and this course will help prepare our Parke and Vermillion County students for well-paying and in-demand positions upon graduation.”

There are a record number of 60 students enrolled in the program, including 20 sophomores. The WRCTE program has a partnership with Ivy Tech, which offers students the opportunity to receive free college credit for enrolling in this course.

“The new facility will allow us to more realistically replicate a real auto repair shop. The ability for our students to spread out more and have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the tools will be a tremendous benefit,” Kutch said.

Students in the classes have the opportunity to learn 80% of the light maintenance work that a car dealership performs. This includes oil changes, tire work, brake work, water pumps, alternators and more. The class has also donated cars that they use for towing engines and other such tasks.

Newnum also wants to include the business aspects of owning his own auto repair shop in the lessons.

A new tool that will be introduced is an alignment machine. Kutch explained that this new tool will make a huge difference in the learning process. The alignment machine was purchased for the class with a $109,000 grant provided by the Commission on Higher Education.

WRCTE students can attend classes starting in their penultimate year. Kutch works with students to meet them at their individual learning level. Some students come to class with only basic tool skills, while others have been working on cars at home for many years.

According to Mike Schimpf, superintendent of NCP schools, the school district has been saving money for this new facility since 2018. The project was completed by krM Architecture, Kramer Company and Strode Construction.

Schimpf said he was delighted that students would be given access to cutting-edge technologies and was looking forward to the many opportunities this would open up for them.

The opening of this facility marks a new era of opportunity and growth for Parke Heritage High School and its students.

For more information about the Automotive Technology Program, contact Craig Newby at [email protected].