Five students from Rockland BOCES Automotive Technology program tested their skills as they raced against the clock during the annual Greater New York Auto Dealers’ Association competition on January 9. Second-year students Nick Carmello and Chris Donovan, both from Clarkstown North, placed fourth out of 23 metropolitan area teams participating in the event. Other Rockland BOCES competitors included Diego Martinez from Clarkstown North and Jonah St. Vil from North Rockland, as well as Lucas Burger from Clarkstown North, who served as an alternate.
The competition measures the technical and diagnostic abilities, and the academic preparation, of automotive students. Each two-person student team diagnoses and repairs a number of pre-assigned problems under a car's hood within an allotted amount of time. Each “bug” correctly repaired is worth a number of points, depending on the level of difficulty. In addition, the student's overall knowledge is tested through a series of written tests prepared by the ASE.
