Repairing rides: auto tech helps Cedar community
Sherri Page, the student support technician (SST) at Cedar Shoals, was on a camping trip with her granddaughter in South Carolina when her car, a 2011 Buick LaCrosse, inopportunely broke down. The mechanic she brought it to told her that she would need a $7,000 motor replacement. They also charged her for a new battery and a few other parts, one of which she later found she did not need.
She eventually had the car towed back to Athens where she knew she could get it fixed by the Cedar Shoals auto tech class. When auto tech teacher Dave Darden heard the story about Page’s car, he was determined to get it fixed.
“My heart was broken. I thought, ‘I’ve got to do something to help her out,’” Darden said.
Darden informed Page that an Athens Area Community Foundation scholarship could be used to pay for the cost if she had it fixed at Cedar Shoals. Darden then discovered that she did not actually need a motor replacement, something the prior mechanic shop had said she would need replaced, so Page ended up only paying $300 out of pocket — $100 for each student that worked on the car.
“I can’t tell him how much it means to me that he was willing to do everything he did,” Page said.
This service wasn’t just for Page. Cedar Shoals auto tech offers anything from oil changes to engine rebuilds. The program regularly performs these services, but they no longer advertise their availability. Business mostly comes from word of mouth.
“We’d get huge volumes of people right after the advertisements came out and it was just overwhelming,” Darden said.
Darden’s program wouldn’t be able to offer services without help. Funding for this class comes from many different places: people in the community, tips from customers, scholarships, fundraising activities and selling scrap metal or car parts. Harbor Freight, a tool company and retail chain, donates $1,000 a year.
Junior Neil Register was one of the main students to work on Page’s car. He has been a part of the auto tech program since his freshman year, but his interest in cars originated much earlier.
“Ever since I was a young kid, I’ve had an interest in cars,” Register said. “When I came here and found out they had an automotive program I thought, ‘That’s what I’ll do.’”
Register’s freshman year took place virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic which created an odd environment for the class.
“Being online was kind of weird because this class is hands-on and you can’t really do that virtually,” Register said.
Even with the setback in his first year, Register has loved working in the program and is very grateful for all of Darden’s guidance.
“I’m glad to have Mr. Darden with me. He has taught me everything I know and kept my passion for this alive,” Register said.
Darden, who has been teaching at Cedar for 13 years, says that about 75 of his students have become automotive professionals. Page’s story is just one example of the many people this program has helped.
“The main reason I love working here is because I enjoy helping people,” Darden said.
