Cavaliers win auto repair championship

SANTIAGO HIGH won an Orange County auto repair competition.

Santiago High School students Mauricio Rey and Antonio Leana took home first place in the Orange County Auto Dealers Association High School Automotive Competition held at Kia Motors of American in Irvine on Feb. 10.  The pair of automotive technology students beat out 120 students from other districts across Orange County in a previous competition, to qualify for the final round and took home the championship against the county’s top six teams.

To win the competition, students were tasked with troubleshooting a Lexus sedan that had been rigged with many errors, including shorted fuses and broken parts.  The Santiago team, coached by teacher Carlos Sanchez and a coach from Lexus of Westminster, used diagnostic equipment to fix the most errors in the fastest amount of time.

“We are so proud of our Santiago students for the dedication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills it took to troubleshoot their way to the top,” said Walter Muneton, Board of Education trustee.  “This win represents the fact that GGUSD automotive students are learning the skills necessary to be successful in high school and beyond.”

The auto technicians won scholarship money and a trip to New York City to represent Orange County at the National championship in April.