PRIEST RIVER — Students in Matt Hansen’s industrial maintenance class received a unique opportunity Monday to celebrate the completion of a restored 1923 Ford Model T — by learning how to drive one from the Inland Empire Model T Club.  

Students gathered outside Priest River Lamanna Jr./Sr. High School as eight Model T vehicles lined up in front of the school, including the class’s own restored vehicle that many of the students helped repair throughout the school year.  

“We took it on as a project, and the students did a lion’s share of the work; they rebuilt the carburetor, they rebuilt the coils, they rebuilt the front end on it, they changed the body parts back to the original body parts, basically got it running and driving,” Priest River Lamanna High School teacher Matt Hansen said.  

The class of 25 students took turns behind the wheel as members of the Inland Empire Model T Club patiently taught students, and some educators, how to operate the classic vehicles.  

Students could be seen running around the school parking lot throughout the afternoon, some eager to learn the vehicle’s unusual driving process, while others watched classmates take the antique cars for a spin. 

Most of the students, Hansen said, were unfamiliar with operating a Model T, aside from a handful that had test-driven the vehicle around school property.  

“I thought it would be a shame to have a running and driving car, and these kids don't know how to drive it,” said Hansen. “So, I reached out to the Inland Model T Club ... and they thought it would be fantastic and would love to get more youth involved.” 

The restoration project and learning opportunity from the Inland Model T Club marked a first for Priest River Lamanna Jr./Sr. High, as the industrial maintenance class had never restored a vehicle before. 

Hansen said the opportunity began after a man from Salmon approached the school about restoring an older vehicle. The project also aligned with several of the class’s curriculum goals. 

“I picked it up this year; we brought it in, and they just kind of tore into it and got busy with it right away,” Hansen said. “We just took it one step at a time and got it running.” 

He said the class learned electrical and mechanical skills throughout the project, which started this year.  

Throughout the process, students learned electrical and mechanical skills while gaining hands-on experience working with gears, lubrication systems, fasteners and specialized tools. Hansen said the project also provided students with a unique historical perspective on how extensive vehicles have evolved over the past century.  

    A member of the Inland Model T Club teaching a Priest River student how to drive his Model T vehicle
  

    Inside the Model T vehicle that was restored by Matt Hansen's industrial maintenance class