February 1, 2011 — Tomorrow’s Technician staff have selected the Top 20 schools in the fourth annual automotive School of the Year competition.

The School of the Year award is made possible by WIX Filters, which is the primary sponsor, along with associate sponsors Chicago Pneumatic and Waterloo.

Contest entries were received from 301 students, instructors and other industry representatives nominating nearly 100 high schools, technical schools and colleges.

Ed Sunkin, editor of Tomorrow’s Technician, said the Top 20 schools now have the opportunity to vie for the title of 2011 School of the Year by putting together a promotional binder that highlights their automotive program.

The Top 20 list will be narrowed down to the final four schools, one from each region of the country. The four finalists will be announced in April.

The 2011 School of the Year will be chosen from the four regional finalists and will be featured on the cover and in the May issue of Tomorrow’s Technician.

“What makes this competition so great is that it gives us the opportunity to interact with hundreds of dedicated students and instructors to learn what motivates this next generation of technicians to succeed,” said Sunkin.

The winning school and three finalists will receive an award package from WIX Filters, Chicago Pneumatic and Waterloo.

Letters to the instructors or administrators of the Top 20 schools announcing the requirements needed to proceed to the regional finalist level will be mailed out this week.

The top 20 schools from the four regions are:

Region One:
• Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, CO
• Cuyamaca College, El Cajon, CA
• Northwest Tech, Goodland, KS
• Western Technical College, El Paso, TX
• East Valley Institute of Technology, Mesa, AZ

Region Two
• Laurens District 55 High School, Laurens, SC
• Union Pines High School, Camreon, NC
• Midlands Technical College, Columbia, SC
• Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Elizabethtown, KY
• Tennessee Technology Center at Jackson, Jackson, TN

Region Three
• South Seattle Community College, Seattle, WA
• Baker College, Flint, MI
• Utah Valley University, Orem, UT
• Reynolds High School, Troutdale, OR
• Capital Area Career Center, Mason, MI

Region Four
• Worcester Technical High School, Worcester, MA
• Ivy Tech Community College, Fort Wayne, IN
• Central Nine Career Center, Greenwood, IN
• Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH
• University of Northwestern Ohio, Lima, OH  

For more information, visit www.ttschooloftheyear.com