Berkeley County School District’s teachers work hard year-round to rack up grants that will help them in their classrooms and set their students up for success.
This Hanahan High teacher just scored a pretty hefty grant in the amount of $25,000 – and that money is going to better prepare students for jobs in the automobile industry.
David Van Maanen – better known as “Mr. V” by his students – is the auto tech instructor at Hanahan High.
On Friday morning, his auto shop classroom was packed with students, administrators and district officials. Probably the most notable visitor in the room was defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro (which was parked right smack dab in the middle of the shop). Larson was joined by crew chief Cliff Daniels after presenting Van Maanen with a $25,000 check as part of Hendrick Automotive Group’s “Hendrick. Get Set. Go!” program. Van Maanen said that money is going to help update a lot of equipment in his shop, including more lighting, diagnostic equipment, welding materials and more.
“It’s all super exciting,” he said, adding, “There’s a lot going on today.”
“Hendrick. Get Set. Go!” is Hendrick Automotive Group’s financial grant initiative focused on supporting STEM-based educational programs throughout the country. The Charlotte-based company operates 11 franchise dealerships in South Carolina and 94 nationally.
To get the grant, Van Maanen submitted a description of his classroom as well as his teaching background. Dealer managers also did a previous site visit to check out the shop – “and I guess they were impressed, so they’re back again to present the check,” Van Maanen said.
Van Maanen leads Auto Tech 1, 2 and 3, and while he has a classroom, his students do most of their learning in the actual shop, which comes equipped with three vehicle lifts, tire machines, air conditioning machines, a brake lathe, assorted hand tools, an upstairs area for students to work on circuits, and more.
The Auto Tech 3 class gets a lot of “shop” time, and the students stay busy working on Hanahan High teachers’ and students’ cars that have been brought in for general maintenance. These students are also generally prepared to get out into the workforce and have the option to do work-based learning where they check in with Van Maanen before going to a job where they receive both class credit and a paycheck.
Van Maanen went through Hanahan High’s auto shop program himself; he did all three classes and also worked out of a Chevy dealership. He graduated from Hanahan High in 2011 and later took over the program about three years ago when his former teacher asked him if he would be interested.
He said that work-based learning helped him out tremendously.
“Being able to learn hands-on is invaluable,” he said. “You cannot replace experience with anything in the classroom.”
Van Maanen’s students are getting set up for entry-level jobs in auto shops, but the careers do not end there; they can go into sales, marketing, financing, accounting and other aspects of the industry.
“I try to open their eyes to all of this so they can at least give it consideration,” he said.
Following the check presentation, visitors and students flocked to Van Maanen’s classroom to check out the No. 5 racecar and chat some more with Larson and Daniels.
Van Maanen said he hopes his students realize how much community members appreciate career and technology programs.
“I feel great,” he said. “It’s all surreal. I would never have expected this to happen.”
While in the shop, Larson took pictures with students and signed autographs while answering even more questions.
“The kids are all really excited – they’re the future of the automotive industry, so glad to be here, glad to be a part of it, glad we can donate some money to the school,” Larson said.
Larson said Hendrick was impressed with Van Maanen’s commitment to the program.
“He takes it very seriously, and us at Hendrick fell in love with that and wanted to be a part of…growing this into something bigger and even better,” he said.
Larson and Daniels will be competing during Labor Day Weekend’s traditional NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 4, where the sport is celebrating “Workforce Appreciation.”
Larson said he wished he could have had something like Van Maanen’s program at his own school growing up – “I really truly feel like it would have made me a better racecar driver today,” he said.
Larson said it means a lot to his team to give back to schools.
“It’s special because you think you’re doing something important and making an impact on the future,” he said.
Twelfth-grader Nathanael Miller took the Auto Tech 1 and 2 classes at Hanahan High, and said the experience was a lot of fun because of the creative freedom students get with Van Maanen.
Miller said students start with learning basic car maintenance like oil changes and changing tires, and then progress to larger projects in the program, like fixing air conditioners and replacing drum brakes.
“I’m so glad I’ve been able to experience it,” he said.
Miller sang Van Maanen’s praises, saying he is happy about his teacher’s recognition.
“He’s an amazing teacher,” he said.
BCSD Superintendent Deon Jackson said it is important to recognize the efforts that BCSD teachers put into earning grants to support their students; he described Hanahan High’s auto shop as a great program with a great history.
“There’s been many students who have gone through here and gone on to work for actually work for Hendrick Automotive in some way, shape, form or fashion,” he said.
Jackson thanked Hendrick Automotive Group for choosing to support Hanahan High, particularly Don Smith with the group for helping to make the event happen.
“I think we’ve done a lot to spark an interest in the field of automotive technology with all the students who are here today,” he said.