Golden Apple: BHS Offers All-Women Automotive Class
“It’s a good chance to get to know your vehicle or basic maintenance,” says Genna Albrecht, a 9th grader who attends the Bemidji High School automotive class.
Almost everyone drives, so knowing a thing or two about what’s under the hood can come in handy. You don’t usually see a lot of women in the auto shop, so BHS is handing the power tools to girls.
“Through the guidance counselors and myself, we came up with the idea to come up with an all-women’s class and try that and see if that was appealing to a lot of the young ladies in our high school that hadn’t thought of taking a class like this,” says BHS automotive instructor Andrew Olson.
The class teaches the importance of general car maintenance, as well as other lessons behind the wheel.
“Driving habits, we talk about that. We talk about the responsibility of being a driver. We talk about distracted driving,” says Olson.
“We talked a little bit about tire pressure and watched a video on all the different fluids and stuff in the car,” adds Tori Howard, an 11th grader taking the class.
Anna Burgoon, a 10th grader who’s also taking the class says, “We’re learning about the battery too. Like when to replace it and when to get your oil change and stuff like that.”
The class lasts nine weeks and is open to girls in all grades.
“So if you’re stranded, you can fix your car or if you don’t want to spend the money and you’re broke, you can fix your own car,” says Lillian Petrie, a 9th grader who is taking the class.
When it comes to car maintenance, it never hurts to know the basics. A lot of the girls who take the class also say it’s a little easier to learn without having boys around.
“Without having any boys in there, you don’t really feel as intimidated with all girls,” says Gracelin Anderson, an 11th grader in the class.
“Some girls aren’t comfortable sitting in a class with a whole bunch of guys and it’s totally relatable. I was like that too; when this class came, I said I wanted to be in auto so I can learn more,” adds 10th grader Danielle Johnson.
This is the first year the class has been offered at BHS, and it’s already proving to be a smash.
“When we first came up with the idea and started getting it all established, we were hoping to have one section a year and to consider it a success. Well, this first year we got three sections, so I was just thrilled that we had that much interest, and there was that much desire to learn about their vehicles and bring students down in our department that maybe normally wouldn’t have taken a class down here,” says Olson.
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