MBHS ASB Auto Club students in background. Front row, from left: Ritchie Wimmer, MBHS Automotive Technology Instructor; Courtney Wimmer, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Shelli Wimmer, Wimmer Insurance Agency; Dr. Eric Prater, SLCUSD Superintendent; Ken Vesterfelt, Cruisin’ Morro Bay Car Show; Michael Franklin, MBHS Principal; and Dan Neff, SLCUSD Secondary Director. Photo courtesy of Marci Beddall, SLCUSD CTE TOSA.
The Cruisin’ Morro Bay Car Show presented a $2,000 donation to the Morro Bay High School Automotive Program and ASB Auto Club recently, supporting students as they compete, travel and continue their automotive education beyond high school.
Cruisin’ Morro Bay Car Show representative Ken Vesterfelt presented the donation at the MBHS automotive shop alongside Auto Club students, community supporters and leadership from Morro Bay High School and the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
The donation will support team uniforms, student meals and travel expenses for Auto Club activities and competitions. Funds will also help provide tools for students who continue their automotive education at Cuesta College, helping bridge the transition from high school automotive education to college and the workforce.
“This support makes a direct difference for our students,” said Ritchie Wimmer, MBHS automotive technology instructor. “It helps us give students experiences outside the classroom today while also helping them take the next step into college, technical training and the automotive industry.”
The timing of the presentation put that support into action immediately. Later that same day, members of the MBHS Auto Club Kart Racing Team were scheduled to travel to K1 Speed in Clovis to compete in Round 10 of the Teen Challenge GP.
The presentation was attended by Dr. Eric Prater, SLCUSD superintendent; Dan Neff, SLCUSD secondary director; and Michael Franklin, MBHS principal, along with students and community supporters.
The MBHS Automotive Program combines classroom instruction, hands-on shop experience, competition and career-connected learning. Through the ASB Auto Club, students also participate in kart racing, automotive events and other activities that provide opportunities to develop teamwork and professional skills beyond the classroom.
For Wimmer, the donation also demonstrates to students that Morro Bay’s automotive community is invested in their future.
“When students see organizations like the Cruisin’ Morro Bay Car Show supporting them, they see that the community values what they’re working toward,” Wimmer said. “Whether they’re representing MBHS at a competition or heading to Cuesta College to continue their automotive education, we want them to know there are people behind them.”
Morro Bay High School and the MBHS Automotive Program would like to thank Vesterfelt and the Cruisin’ Morro Bay Car Show, including its organizers, volunteers, participants and sponsors, for their continued investment in local students.
