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FLINT, MI – Kearsley High School’s new Career Academic Program was a big hit.
Bike Tech instructor Jack Lynn received so many bike donations from around Genesee County that he eventually ran out of room to store them.
Lynn posted on Facebook about the launch of a new curriculum at Kearsley High that will introduce students to the profession as a bicycle mechanic.
The 26-year-old Kearsley teacher had hundreds of people approach him to donate bikes that students could build on.
Jason Titsworth, Lynn’s colleague, worked to bring forward a new curriculum called Project Bike Tech, which uses STEM lessons in bicycle mechanics.
The Kearsley Board of Education approved the new curriculum, which cost $60,000 to begin last summer. The program, the first of its kind at Kearsley High School, is the first bike tech class in Michigan.
Housed in a lab at Kearsley High School, the Bicycle Technology Department features 10 workbenches, bike racks, new Harrow bikes and a semester-long curriculum from basics to classes.
In its first year, the program has about 40 participating students, but Lin expects that number to grow in future years. Upon approval by the Board of Education, a four-year commitment was made to the program.
Students in this class can gain hands-on experience with bicycle mechanics. When MLive-The Flint Journal visited on Oct. 12, students were dismantling and reassembling the hub.
Mason Wilts, a senior at Kearsley High School, was working on his own bike with fellow sophomore Adam Ward.
“I’m a hands-on learner, so I’d rather just be able to do things than learn about them,” Wilts said. “Being able to learn about hubs, headers and everything. It’s just more fun. What kind of class do you get to ride a bike and learn about bikes?”
Ward always wanted to be an auto mechanic one day, so hands-on experience with tools and assembly fueled his interest.
“You learn about the tools and how to fix a bike. … That’s probably one of my favorite classes because you get to make things,” Ward said.
Working with Project Bike Tech, Lynn and Titsworth traveled to Colorado over the summer to learn the curriculum, test out bikes and develop their own techniques for the class.
It’s a refreshing change of pace for a teacher who regularly teaches basic subjects. Lynn encouraged him to consider extending his teaching career because this class has students having fun while learning.
“I’m seeing kids learning and having fun. I’ve taught for 26 years and in that time – social studies and English classes, you know, kids always go, ‘This is boring,’ and ‘I don’t need to know this,'” Lynn said. “This is just an opportunity to springboard[into the technology business]. They’ve been very receptive,” he said.
The class is organized with mixed lessons and working days. There are currently two class sessions: one with 19 students and another with 18.
At the beginning of the semester, students write a one-page paper describing how a career skill will help them in the future.
Towards the end of the course, students learn additional career-building skills such as business ownership, teamwork, interview techniques and more.
At the end of the semester, the Kearsley High School Bike Tech donates all of the repaired bikes to the community through the district’s Christmas charity program. Lynn expects to donate 60-70 bikes in the first year.
“I’m glad the kids are enjoying what they’re doing,” Lynn said. “They’re going to be involved in the community. They’re putting something together and learning to give back.”
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