Wanted to let everyone know that I am retiring from full time teaching this coming spring. This is my 30th year at Willamette High and I will be 63 by the end of school. I plan on coming back half time for the next 2 years and just teach my Electrathon or Industry and Engineering Systems classes if the district will let me...but that has not been approved yet so this may be my last year!!!
So there is a need soon for a new national president. Either this spring or at the latest the spring of 2018 will be my last year involved with this great program/activity. I may hang onto my car and race it once or twice a year until I get too old to get in and out of it but maybe that will be this year. If you have any ideas on new blood for EA or if you want to step up please let me know. I think we have an annual board meeting coming up soon and I will let them know about this and see if any of them want to become the new 'Fearless leader' of this group.
Willamette started making cars in the spring of 1994 so this is our/my 22nd year of building cars and I still think this is the best program I have ever seen to engage students and teach so many life skills and lessons. Centennial High dropped their program last year so I think the only ones left in the NW from those early years are Hood River Valley High and Willamette. At Willamette we have built more that 20 new cars in a single season and have had as many as 24 cars that we raced in a year. This year is 15-16 new student cars plus 4 old ones (3 adult and 1 aerodynamic "Arrow body" for our one 'fast' race). So in the 22 years we have made over 300 cars from the ground up, gone to well over 300 races, hosted about 50 races, and hopefully inspired and helped so many young adults become ready for life. Over the years I have had 6 other teachers team-teach this 2 period block class with me and all but one (who moved to robots) have long since retired so now I teach all sections of it. I was drinking a beer last week with the Education Fund manager for our local Eugene Water and Electric Board and we figured out that they have donated well over $350,000 to our program over those 22 years for our cars, 3 car/2 motorcyle conversions to electric we did, a 24 KW solar array we put on our school, a 1 kw and 0.5 kw wind generator we put on an educational trailer we built and is still in use, and sponsoring 1 to 3 races a year for the last 18 years. Thanks to them we were able to meet the needs of our students and the Willamette/NW program..... I hope the district can find someone to replace me and keep our huge program alive after I fully retire but in Oregon there are not many CTE certified teachers available and even fewer that are willing to put in well over 100 hours a week during the spring race season--so Willamette's program may die with me.
Mike Hodgert
ETO Charlie said
Nov 11, 2016
Please send me a copy of the Articles of Incorporation, By Laws, Policy and Procedures and if there is a five year plan in place with goals and objectives for Electrathon America so I review and then consider the position.
Hi all,
Wanted to let everyone know that I am retiring from full time teaching this coming spring. This is my 30th year at Willamette High and I will be 63 by the end of school. I plan on coming back half time for the next 2 years and just teach my Electrathon or Industry and Engineering Systems classes if the district will let me...but that has not been approved yet so this may be my last year!!!
So there is a need soon for a new national president. Either this spring or at the latest the spring of 2018 will be my last year involved with this great program/activity. I may hang onto my car and race it once or twice a year until I get too old to get in and out of it but maybe that will be this year. If you have any ideas on new blood for EA or if you want to step up please let me know. I think we have an annual board meeting coming up soon and I will let them know about this and see if any of them want to become the new 'Fearless leader' of this group.
Willamette started making cars in the spring of 1994 so this is our/my 22nd year of building cars and I still think this is the best program I have ever seen to engage students and teach so many life skills and lessons. Centennial High dropped their program last year so I think the only ones left in the NW from those early years are Hood River Valley High and Willamette. At Willamette we have built more that 20 new cars in a single season and have had as many as 24 cars that we raced in a year. This year is 15-16 new student cars plus 4 old ones (3 adult and 1 aerodynamic "Arrow body" for our one 'fast' race). So in the 22 years we have made over 300 cars from the ground up, gone to well over 300 races, hosted about 50 races, and hopefully inspired and helped so many young adults become ready for life. Over the years I have had 6 other teachers team-teach this 2 period block class with me and all but one (who moved to robots) have long since retired so now I teach all sections of it. I was drinking a beer last week with the Education Fund manager for our local Eugene Water and Electric Board and we figured out that they have donated well over $350,000 to our program over those 22 years for our cars, 3 car/2 motorcyle conversions to electric we did, a 24 KW solar array we put on our school, a 1 kw and 0.5 kw wind generator we put on an educational trailer we built and is still in use, and sponsoring 1 to 3 races a year for the last 18 years. Thanks to them we were able to meet the needs of our students and the Willamette/NW program..... I hope the district can find someone to replace me and keep our huge program alive after I fully retire but in Oregon there are not many CTE certified teachers available and even fewer that are willing to put in well over 100 hours a week during the spring race season--so Willamette's program may die with me.
Mike Hodgert
Please send me a copy of the Articles of Incorporation, By Laws, Policy and Procedures and if there is a five year plan in place with goals and objectives for Electrathon America so I review and then consider the position.
Thanks