The automotive shop at the Boys and Girls Club in Ronan looks like the real deal. The three-bay shop boasts a lift in one bay, compliments of Don Aadsen Ford, and is equipped with automotive supplies and tools, vehicles and parts of vehicles.

The young mechanics working there are Ronan Charter Academy students, who attend either a morning or an afternoon session three days a week.

On a recent Tuesday, students Shay Wall, Denzel Baltz, Scott Cameron, Ryan Kendall and Troy Pierce were all busy at 9 a.m. Troy was diagnosing why the dome light in a van would not go off when the door shut; Shay, Denzel and Ryan were replacing piston rings; and Scott was cleaning the oil pan on a vintage U.S. Army Jeep. The students all said they like to work on cars.

One bay contains the stripped-down frame and assorted doors, seats, and other pieces of that same Jeep, brought in by a former student who’s buying the parts for the project. The kids are doing a frame-up reconstruction of the military vehicle.

“The cool thing about the Jeep is, it’s really simple,” said Aric Cooksley, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County. He noted it lacks the complicated electronics of more contemporary vehicles. “It’s very basic – it was designed to be put together in the dirt.”

Generous community members also donated a 1983 Cadillac Cimarron with 75,000 miles on it, fully drivable. Cooksley said the class instructor, Larry Cordis, immediately took his brand-new classes to the car and said, ‘Find the jack.”

Then they removed the wheel, and one group of students dismantled the brakes and rebuilt them. The Caddy is a car they can dismantle, learn from and then bring it back to road readiness.

For several years, Cooksley and Gordon Henricksen of Don Aadsen Ford have been talking about an automotive class for kids. As the Charter Academy at Ronan High was taking shape, Cooksley brought up the idea of an automotive class to its director, Josh Illig.

The timing was right, the “what ifs” and “wouldn’t it be greats” merged, and it was a go for the class, which began Jan. 20. Twelve kids are enrolled right now with an additional six 8th graders taking a small engines course.

Instructor brings passion, know-how

Cordis was a natural fit for the automotive courses, having worked in the school’s maintenance department and served as part of the transportation team, as well as having a passion for cars and lots of automotive know-how. Illig, who had known him for several years, asked if he’d be interested in the job and got a resounding affirmative.

Cordis attained his Class 4 teaching license, which is based on life experiences. He loves to build hot rods, and he likes to build them from the ground up.

“I’ve built rigs for my kids,” he said.

Cordis’s personal “toy” is a bright orange Chevy pickup. Also a fan of restoring vintage cars, he has a “beautiful” DKW – a car with two-stroke engine that was a precursor to Audis.

Cordis clearly enjoys working beside students and sharing his enthusiasm for all-things automotive. “I just work with them all day – it’s the best time,” he said.

“Larry’s the biggest part of this program, honestly,” Illig said. “It doesn’t go without him.” He added that the students “are very lucky to have him.”

He also credits Cooksley with being the “big picture guy, the thinker.” And he says they’re fortunate to have Henricksen from Don Aadsen involved in their program.

Hybrid training helps build career skills

Don Aadsen Ford's partnership with Boys and Girls Club and the Charter Academy allows the students to participate in the Ford Automotive Career Exploration Program (ACE), which provides access to introductory auto technician coursework aligned with industry standards, according to a press release from Cooksley.

With Cordis giving students hands-on experience in the shop and devoting class time to ACE, they’ll go through modules on automotive maintenance and repair, advanced mechanical systems, auto body techniques, shop safety and tool use, and professional workplace expectations.

ACE provides steppingstones to further technical education and careers in automotive service. If a student is interested, the ACE credits can transfer to the Ford ASSET program, which is geared toward training automotive technicians. Participants are sponsored by a local Ford dealer.

“It’s a hybrid model,” Cooksley explained. “You go to school for eight weeks and then come back to work at dealership for eight weeks, and repeat.”

With the ASSET program, in two years a student is done. It’s strictly technical, so it takes less time, and a person emerges from the program knowledgeable and able to work in a professional shop and make more money.

“This partnership is the start of something we have dreamed of for years,” Henricksen said. “It gives local young people a good career with the opportunity to stay here in Montana.”

“Our hope is a couple of kids come out of this who say ‘Hey, I really like this,’” Cooksley said.

    Instructor Larry Cordis guides RHS students through group and individual mechanical projects. Here, he's advising Shay Wall, Denzel Baltz, Ryan Kendall and Scott Cameron as they work on piston rings. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)
  

    Ronan Charter School director Josh Illig and student Troy Pierce discuss a van's issue – the interior light won't turn off when the vehicle is parked. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)