December President's Update

By Drew Barnes, Vale School District

Greetings Fellow NACAT Members,

It is hard to believe, but as this issue of NACAT News reaches you, many of us are nearing the end of our first semester of the 2024-25 school year. That brings a very busy schedule, setting up shop finals, administering and grading final exams, preparing and lesson planning for the new semester, and possibly getting ready for a new group of students in January. With that being said I just wanted to offer a reminder of the support that NACAT is here to offer. If you are in need of lesson plans, lab ideas, have questions about curriculum, or need some updated information on technical topics, please feel free to reach out to us. Our most valuable resource is our membership, we can easily put you in touch with someone who is willing to help out. Also, check out the membership resources section of our website, you may just find what you are looking for there.

Speaking of the website, if you haven’t had a chance to check it out recently, you should! Our business management team has been working very hard to update and add more content, and I must say, they have done an outstanding job! We are still welcoming submissions of lesson plans and task sheets from NACAT members, if you have something that you would like to share, please reach out to Heather, myself, or any of the board members.

This last month has been a very busy one for me as well. Starting at the beginning of November, I had the opportunity to take a group of senior Automotive students to Weber State University for the qualifying round of their annual Automotive Skills Contest. We will head back there in February for the final round, where they will compete against schools from Idaho and Utah, the final round consists of troubleshooting on a live vehicle that is provided by the schools sponsoring dealership. Shortly after that I was able to accompany five of my senior Automotive students to the SEMA Show, as part of the 2024 SEMA Student Program. We returned just in time for our annual Veterans Day Community Service Event. We join forces with a local independent repair facility and offer free oil changes and complete vehicle inspections for Veterans. Our students working alongside with the shop technicians were able to complete 72 oil change services and complete vehicle inspections. Yes, it was a very busy few weeks for sure, but very rewarding opportunities for these students that were able to participate, I wouldn’t change a thing!

As I conclude this President’s update, just a couple reminders. Remember to check your email and keep an eye out for any NACAT correspondence in the coming weeks. Registration for the 2025 NACAT Conference in Detroit, MI. June 9-12, will be opening up before the end of next month! Also, there are going to be some opportunities to win some prizes through our membership drive, more information to come. Next, Jack Rosebro is going to host a webinar for NACAT members on January 14, 2025, it is titled “Tesla Model 3 and Y, in the context of the Classroom."

I hope each of you is able to enjoy a wonderful holiday season! Enjoy catching up and spending quality time with your family and friends. I look forward to many of you at the 2025 NACAT Conference in Detroit.

Happy Holidays!