WIX® Filters, a global innovator and manufacturer of filtration products, in conjunction with Tomorrow’s Technician, has selected Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, NC, as the 2023 School of the Year.
“We are honored to award Chapel Hill High School the 2023 School of the Year award. The commitment of the administration, staff and students is inspiring and impressive,” said Tina Davis, senior marketing manager for WIX Filters. “Through lesson plans emphasizing the integration of traditional classroom and lab classes to hands-on participation in motorsports activities, Chapel Hill is an exciting example of how to successfully support education.”
Chapel Hill High School is the 15th recipient of the annual program, which salutes the best technical training schools in the country. WIX Filters and O’Reilly Auto Parts are sponsors of the national award in conjunction with Tomorrow’s Technician, a Babcox Media property dedicated to automotive students.
“Since getting involved with the School of the Year program in 2009, we’ve met with hundreds of passionate students and teachers from across the nation,” said Davis.“We know how important it is to not only train – but inspire the next generation of technicians and automobile experts.” Davis added, “Investing in the next generation of tradespeople ignites new ideas and innovations for our global automotive community.”
Robert Ballard, Chapel Hill’s Automotive Instructor says that enthusiasm, as well as exemplary industry support and extracurricular activities, has been key to the program’s success.
“When I first got to Chapel Hill High School, we started out with about 35 kids,” Ballard says. “Now we have a hundred kids in the program. We’re completely maxed out, offering all four levels of automotive that the state requires.”
In an attempt to build enthusiasm for the program, Ballard says his outreach begins by talking to students at the elementary school level, continuing through junior high and into high school, including other local school districts.
“Our program is able to work with many technical community colleges,” he says, “including Wake Tech, Durham Tech, Forsyth, Alamance Community College and NASCAR Technical Institute. They bring in speakers, so we invite math classes, English classes and other programs to join us to see how the things they’re learning relate to automotive and how automotive relates to them.”
The School of the Year competition is open to all high schools or post-secondary schools that participate with Tomorrow’s Technician’s newsletters, website or LMS (learning management system). Tomorrow’s Technician, a Babcox Media brand, is the only national media outlet dedicated to supporting educators and students in transportation-related schools. Schools are invited to submit videos highlighting their programs.
As the winning school, Chapel Hill High School receives:
• $10,000 WIX Filters donation to the school’s program
• WIX Filters gear
• In-person announcement/celebration visit by Tomorrow’s Tech staff and program sponsors
• Appearance by the WIX marketing unit
In addition, three other finalists each receive a $500 gift card from O’Reilly Auto Parts. The three runners up are:
Northwest Iowa Community College – Sheldon, IA;
Matrix Trade Institute – Beachwood, OH; and
Fenton High School – Bensenville, IL.
“It’s an incredible honor to receive so many inspiring entries to this program, which makes the process of selecting a final candidate so challenging,” says Jim Merle, publisher of Tomorrow’s Tech. “All of the schools that participate should be commended for their dedication to developing the next generation of automotive professional. We encourage them to keep up the great work.”
For more information, visit Wix Filters or Tomorrow’s Technician.
