GHS BOYS DREAM THE POSSIBLE

Students in Zach Terry's auto mechanics classes took a DARE to finish work
on an old truck.

In the process, the students won an award in a local car show.

The class took first place at the Classic Car Show at the 19th Annual
Peanut Festival in Whitesboro last week in the "under construction" category.

"It wasn't running at all before and, lo and behold, they won a trophy!"
said Terry of his students' ambition.

The pickup, a 1976 Ford F150, was designed to promote the school's Drug
Abuse and Resistance Education (DARE) program but had sat dormant near the
athletics field house for nearly two years, according to Terry.

"There's still quite a bit of work to do," Terry said, adding that there
was gasoline still in the tank and several of the seals had rotted. "And
the brakes from '76 aren't the greatest in the world."

So Terry received permission to take the truck out of mothballs and use it
for one of his class projects.

David Watson, a GHS junior, said he worked on the carburetor for the truck.
He drives a classic vehicle himself, a '68 Pontiac.

"I like all the attention it gets," he said.

Classmate Jared Higgins said the only disadvantage to driving a classic car
is the fuel economy.

"You have to buy a lot more gas for it," Higgins said.

Aspiring mechanic T.J. Atkins said the fuel pump required a complete
replacement but the carb only needed to be reassembled and sprayed with a
little carb cleaner fluid to run.

The pickup also has a police siren and red and blue emergency lights, which
the members of the class were happy to demonstrate.

The Gainesville Masonic Lodge, which has its logo affixed near the rear
bumper, dedicated money for the pickup to be painted two years ago. The
truck, which was covered and maintains its red, white and blue color
scheme, features the familiar DARE logo on the door and "Gainesville ISD
Police" written on the side panels.

Terry said the experience is good for the students, as it is not only for
high school and college credit, but also to prepare them for certain
aspects of a technical college.

Currently, he said, his students are also working on a Volkswagen engine in
a dune buggy, replacing a transmission in an Chevrolet El Camino and
working on an engine in a Jeep.

"A lot of these students will take what they learn here and go on to
technical school," Terry said. "They're not going to learn everything about
being a mechanic in high school, but we hope we can cover the basics in
here and instill some good work ethics."

He said some students get into the work and determine that they do not want
to pursue auto mechanics as a lifelong career. But Terry said the skills
still come in handy.

"It helps them to see what areas they're interested in and if they want to
do this for the rest of their lives," he said.

The students who were principal in doing the work on the truck, according
to Terry, were: Andy Miller, Chase Padgett, Paul Schad, Matt Fowler, Riley
Ogletree, Jason Newman, Aaron Spicer, David Watson, T.J. Atkins, Josh
Parsons, Marco Lopez and Jared Higgins.

The two police officers of the Gainesville ISD department seem excited to
use the vehicle in their speeches and various activities on the school's
campuses.

"I think using the truck as fixed up as it is gets the kids' attention,"
said Lawanna Wisian, chief of police for the GISD Police Department, adding
the sirens and colored lights especially excite the elementary set.

"To the younger students, it's a little awe-inspiring," said officer Dennis
Baldree of the GISD police. "Anything to help the relationship between us
and them is an asset ... they need to know that we're here for them."

Terry said he hopes to finish the work on the brakes and have the truck
ready to roll in a few weeks.

On the Net: The DARE national program's Web site may be viewed at www.dare.com