Jun 16, 2009 4:52 pm US/Eastern
Essex Students Named 'Best Auto Techs' In Md.
Reporting
Ron Matz
ESSEX, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Jeff Grueninger and Ward Taylor hey're students at Eastern Technical High School in Essex and they just won the title of "Maryland's Best Student Auto Technicians."
CBS
Good automobile mechanics are in big demand these days. Two of them can be found at Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore County.
Ron Matz reports they're so good at what they do; these accomplished students are on the road taking part in a national competition.
Meet Jeff Grueninger and Ward Taylor. They're students at Eastern Technical High School in Essex and they just won the title of "Maryland's Best Student Auto Technicians."
"I've always been interested in cars; I've always had fun around them. Once I got my license I started fixing my car and my friend's cars. I just kind of fell into it," said Grueninger.
They spend many hours after class working on cars supplied by Al Packer Automotive. Eastern Technology has won the state championship four of the last five years.
"We've won the state championship four of the past five years, it's an incredible achievement. We've worked long and hard to achieve this. It's [practice] all after school and I am super proud of these kids," said Eldridge Watts, automotive teacher.
They hope to win more scholarship money at the Ford Motor Company Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan at the Ford and AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals.
"It's a fantastic program, we're a magnet school, so we get to choose our students and essentially they're the cream of the crop. The kids are very motivated due to the tradition of our great school," said Watts.
Due to the bad economy, the need for skilled auto technicians has increased, with motorists holding on to their old cars longer.
The guys are hoping to gain life lessons in the auto tech industry and become the faces of the future.
"I like getting up early and actually doing something, being productive. It makes me happy fixing a car and getting up early and spending time with good people is always good stuff. You learn a lot, its pretty complicated technology," said Taylor.
The Eastern Technical Students will be facing 98 other junior and senior students from across the country. The competition also includes a written exam.
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