Grant Career Center Auto Collision Model Car Show Participants are Mark Mockbee, Shane Demaris, Corey Stith, Jon Scott, Ryan Logan, Ronnie Hitt, Kyle Puckett, Tyler Malicoat, Brady Couch, Dennis Corbett, Cody Rust, Philip Gardner, Devin Donell, Steve Benton, Justin Piast, Brian Adams, Sean Vesper, Andrew D’Aquila-Meyers, Marshall Sherman, Tanner Duncan, Frank Frasher, Travis Estep, Darrell Bates, Nathan Comberger, David Allison, Justin Sizemore, Rodney List and Jason Thompson.
As students in the Grant Career Center Auto Collision program learn new skills, they practice in their lab on full size cars, panels, and doors. Dent removal, filler applications, sanding, welding, and painting can be seen on a daily basis in the lab.

To showcase their newly perfected skills, the students dropped down in scale to model cars. Students list their favorite cars and the instructors search through mountains of models at the Ben Franklin store in Bethel.

Students open the models with great anticipation and begin the building process. Boxes of assorted parts morph into hot rods, trucks, and great cars of the past. Then the creative process truly becomes apparent. Paints are applied with great precision with tiny brushes and spray guns. Fancy finishes and saucy striping take over, and the plain plastic becomes a work of art.

The day finally arrives when the long tables are pulled out, and it is Car Show Day. Students proudly display their models and hope to impress the judges. Staff members from the Career Center wander around the tables and examine the models from all angles.

Expertise varies among the staff from true car aficionados to those who utter, “Which ones are the GM products?” In the end, the winners emerge from the pack and awards are distributed.

Instructors Mike Patten and Ric Kruse take great pride in hosting the Model Car Show each year. According to Patten, “The students love the chance to showcase their hard work to staff, students and fellow car enthusiasts. They like to be recognized for their efforts and they love the feedback on the skills that they have perfected in the program.”

Winners of this year’s Model Car Show are as follows: Best of Show, Marshall Sherman; Best Junior Model, Jon Scott; Best Senior Model, Justin Piast; Best Junior Paint, (tie) Brady Couch, Philip Gardner, and Mark Mockbee ; Best Senior Paint, Marshall Sherman; Best Displayed Model, Coty Hale; Best Chrysler, Coty Hale; Best Ford Corporate, Justin Sizemore; Best General Motors, (tie) Nathan Comberger and Tyler Malicoat; Best Truck, Tyler Malicoat; Best Foreign Car, Frank Frasher and Shane Demaris; Best Subcompact, Ronnie Hitt; Best Engine, Jon Scott; Best Interior, Ryan Logan; Best 1970 & Down Street Rod, Mark Mockbee; Best 1971 & Up Street Machine, Brady Couch; Junior Best Effort, (tie) Jon Scott, Devin Donell and Philip Gardner; Senior Best Effort, Jason Thompson.

If your sophomore son or daughter is interested in a career in the auto collision industry, investigate career options and college partnerships on our website at www.grantcareer.com or call the Career Center for more information at (513) 734-6222.