Students eagerly awaited as the fog machine began puffing clouds into the Sedro-Woolley High School gym and the sound of a roaring engine grew louder. Rock music played loudly as a custom Harley Davidson motorcycle rolled on to the glossy wood floor.
Sedro-Woolley High School has been working with Harley Davidson on a build for The Battle of the Kings, to manufacture a motorcycle in just four successful months. Everyone had a hand in this local project from Rick Garcia, the auto shop teacher, Matthew Joplin the welding teacher to Jerry Grisham the CTE director.
With students from both Joplin’s classes and Garcia’s everyone was working simultaneously to design something amazing. “Their students were able to contribute their efforts towards some detail features.
A lot of the project was choosing a design and selecting components, which is actually legitimately what lots of bike builders do,” said Matthew Joplin about how they executed the project.
“I’m the CTE director for the school district, so when someone has a project or a company wants our involvement, I’m the person that goes to meet with that company. We talk about the scope of it, then we try to attach the department or the teacher with that project. Then we sit down and try to figure out what are all the possible avenues,” said Grisham. Not only did everyone do a great job working on the motorcycle, they also successfully worked together.
With help from local North Cascades Harley Davidson builders – Ash, Jake and Ray – together they got this completed and did a great job. Harley Davidson made a great impression on the students of Sedro-Woolley High School, everyone is hoping for another working experience in the future. When asked if they would like to work again with the staff and students of Sedro-Woolley Ash Friedrichs said, “Absolutely, without a doubt!” This being the first project of this magnitude, working with Harley Davidson, everyone was learning as they were working.
Yes but simply due to lack of experience, after a few weeks Nate, Kevin, and Cameron were pros,” said Friedrichs.
Talk about another project regarding working with North Cascades Harley Davidson once again has everyone looking forward to what’s to come, even thoughts on what to do differently in the future are in rout. “Start preparing at the very beginning of the school year and then let the students make more of the major design decisions” said Friedrichs about what he would do differently.
Overall the project was a major success with both the students, teachers and North Cascades Harley Davidson staff, and I think that I speak for everyone when I say another opportunity like this would be amazing.