DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE
Dozens of classic and custom vehicles will be on display Dec. 3 at the annual Temple College SkillsUSA STEM Club Car Show.
The event, which will include about 20 vendors and local food trucks, will start at 9 a.m. and end about 2 p.m., according to Dr. Sandra Melendez, chair of TC’s Engineering Department. Judging will begin at noon.
“Last year, we had about 40 cars and we are expecting more to take part at this year’s event,” Melendez said. “We will also have some area fire trucks on display.”
All car and bike classes are welcome to participate.
“We will have medals for the Top 30 vehicles trophies for Best in Show and President’s Choice winners,” she said. “Some of our vendors will be providing special prizes for car owners.”
“The first 30 registrants will receive a gift bag, and there will be prizes and giveaways for the participants.”
According to STEM Club President Adrianna Rogers, the purpose of the car show is to raise money and awareness of club and Temple College’s Engineering Department.
“The money benefits the STEM Club — last year we used the money to pay expenses for our trip to state,” she said. “We did well in state and national competitions.”
Engineering technology students from Temple College’s SkillsUSA STEM Club competed in the SkillsUSA National Championships this past summer and captured the gold medal in Engineering/Technology Design.
Teammates Jennifer Ognibene, Lori Kliebert and Mauricio Leza presented their design for the “Handibat,” a pneumatic device that allows children with disabilities to play baseball. Ognibene developed the idea of the Handibat after watching the struggle of several family members – including her son Lukus – challenged by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which leads to muscle deterioration and gets worse over time.
The design, which first earned the gold medal at the Texas state competition in April, captured the nation’s top honor.
“Reaching the national champion level has been an experience like no other, and winning gold has been the goal I wished to reach from the beginning,” said Ognibene, who graduated in May with her associate degree in engineering technology. She served as the 2021-22 president of the club.
Club members Geraldo Pirela and Adrianna Rogers placed fifth in the nation in the Additive Manufacturing competition. They presented their design of an aerodynamic component that clips to the anti-asphyxia valve on a CPAP machine and keeps air from blowing in the CPAP user’s eyes during sleep. Their design won the gold medal at the SkillsUSA Texas College/Post-Secondary competition in Houston in April.
Registration for the Car Show is $30 in advance, plus $40 the day of the show. In addition to the entry fee, participants and those attending the show are asked to bring a new toy that will be presented to the Temple Ronald McDonald House and to McLane’s Children’s Hospital.
Vendor space is available for $40.
For additional information about the Car Show, to register or to reserve a vendor’s booth, contact Melendez at (254) 298-8442 or Sandra.melendez@templejc.edu , or Richard Askey, Industrial Technology instructor, at (254) 298-8469 or Richard.askey@templejc.edu .
Car Owners can register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SE0OANodf3sICAfOtcRLv1Hp6pipklXk6zpG6mBRKV8/viewform?ts=633de8fb&edit_requested=true
