There was a time, decades ago, when many Long Island high schools offered their own automotive repair classes. The “shop” was often a special place where kids, many of whom struggled academically, could roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty in productive ways, and score some good grades while learning the ins and outs of car maintenance and repair.
Programs like auto shop and woodworking largely went by the wayside in the late 1990s and early 2000s as schools adapted to the onset of computer technology, changes in student enrollment, and the rising costs and safety issues that came along with running shop classes. The evolution of New York State’s Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES, a network of regional education hubs serving groups of school districts, meant that auto shop often became a technical program housed in centralized BOCES facilities where students were bused in from their home districts to learn together.
In the 2023-24 school year, that all changed in East Hampton, when the school district officially opened its new transportation depot on Springs-Fireplace Road. The 10,800-square-foot facility meets several needs: maintenance, fueling, and parking for a fleet of about 40 school buses, plus a growing academic program in automotive technology that harks back to the heyday of shop class on Long Island.
The auto repair classes housed at the East Hampton bus depot are the talk of the district, and with good reason — dozens of students are engaged in meaningful work that merges traditional academics and career-oriented training for which they don’t have to go very far.
“When I heard about this program, I was super excited. A passion of mine is anything that has a motor,” John Dunning, a high school senior here, said during a Dec. 10 school board meeting held in the shop classroom at the bus depot. “This is my favorite class I’ve ever had.”
The two-year program, in which students start as juniors, is taught by Tedd Page, who was previously a mechanic at Bock Automotive in Amagansett. He is assisted by Peter Fletcher, who is also the internship coordinator at the high school.
“All the equipment we have is amazing, and as far as I’m aware the kids are having a really good time here,” Mr. Page, who brings 20 years’ experience fixing cars to the job, told the school board on Dec. 10. He added later, “I enjoy working with the kids. It really is rewarding to see them have the drive and be here and want to work.”
John, who’s headed to Eastern Kentucky University after high school, was one of three students who raved about the shop program to the school board. It has “helped me with my commitment to college,” he said. “I’m majoring in aviation, and the schools liked seeing that I was working on motors and have mechanical knowledge. That’s something they want to see for piloting.”
Josh Williams, a fellow East Hampton senior who aspires to be a military mechanic, added, “The whole point of high school is to make something of your life . . . and this will help me jump-start my career and be a successful man in the future. It gives me a lot of knowledge. I understand a lot about cars and I’m really confident I’ll get where I want to be as an adult.”
Students in the first year of the program spend three school periods at the shop in the mornings, while the second-year students spend three periods there in the afternoons. They are still able to take part in after-school activities, which is otherwise difficult for students to do if they’re being bused to Riverhead or points farther west for BOCES programs that take up at least half the school day.
Before they are permitted to work on cars, Mr. Page said, the students all study and take tests for lift certifications that will allow them to work safely in the shop area.
Some days the students get right to work on repair tasks — teachers and other school staff are now able to bring their cars in for oil changes, state inspections, and other basic maintenance services — but most days Mr. Page starts off with a theory lesson. “What I try to do is keep the lecture short and sweet, 15 to 20 minutes, maybe show a video,” he said. It leads right into projects that “reinforce, reinforce, reinforce” what he’s just taught.
“Everything in here is state of the art,” he said. They don’t have the technology to work on automotive computer programming, “but we can do any sort of diagnostic work here. Tires, wheel alignments — some of the stuff kids were doing last year I wasn’t doing till my second year of college. . . . The kids think they’re playing around and having fun, but every step of the way, they are confirming what they learned and doing an amazing job.”
“I love the term ‘you can’t judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree,’ “ Mr. Page said. The shop program helps students find success “with different types of learning.”
Two students in the program, Jeremy Cabrera and Charlie Zelnick, have secured full internships at nearby car dealerships, Jeremy at BMW of Southampton and Charlie at the Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram sales and repair center, also in Southampton.
Mr. Page read a testimonial from Jeremy, who wasn’t able to attend the Dec. 10 board meeting but still wanted to share his thoughts. “The new automotive program has been great,” Jeremy wrote. “I’m also learning how the industry works . . . I’m so happy to be in this program and have such great people to learn from. Thank you to everyone who helped out and made all this possible.”
The district broke ground on the transportation depot in February 2021; its opening in 2023 was nearly a decade in the making. Tim Fromm, East Hampton’s assistant superintendent, thanked those who were instrumental in making it happen, including former superintendent Richard Burns; the district clerk, Kerri Stevens; Cathy Tyrie, a teacher of business and career-oriented classes; Christina DeSanti, the school board vice president, and Erick Bock of Bock Automotive.
The program has the potential for future expansion as well, including accepting students from nearby schools.
“This is a ‘Field of Dreams,’ “ Mr. Fromm said, comparing the shop program to the classic baseball movie. “If you build it, they will come. . . . I think it’s uplifting that we have these programs and there are opportunities to expand them.”