NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The students know their stuff in Henry County High's automotive program. Teacher Stephen England makes sure of that.
"You one of those grizzled, tough teachers?" I asked him.
"I don't know!" England smiled. "You might want to ask my students here. One of them's nodding his head yes! They really show out when they're put to the test."
That includes student Braylen Kirby who really did come to this naturally. His mom Dora Warner told me all about that.
"My parents told me the reason they had me was so that I could give them Braylen!" she laughed.
Fred Bockoever is Braylen's grandfather. True car guy.
"Braylen had my daddy's heart," Warner nodded. "They were super close from the day he was born. He wanted to make sure he bought him his first bike and his first car."
Bockoever got his grandson a little red Corvette when Braylen was about three.
"He knew he wanted to get it before he passed away," Braylen said. "He knew he wasn't going to be able to see me grow up to get the car."
Bockoever died in 2012. The Corvette hasn't been driven since then. Then, Braylen and his mom approached England with a question; would the class be up to help restore a very sentimental car?
"That seems like a pretty good group of friends," I told Braylen.
"Oh yeah!" he said, turning to a friend behind him. "Especially this one right here!"
"I feel like all these kids are part of our family now!" Warner said.
"They're working on the brake system right now," England added, looking over at the students. "We'll get it back up to par for driving."
"Mr. England is incredible," Warner continued.
Now, if a crew's working on a little red Corvette, I can't stop myself with my old man references.
"I can't believe y'all haven't heard the song Little Red Corvette!" I said to the students.
"Y'all don't know who Prince is?" Warner asked with a laugh.
Warner will tell you the love of cars skipped a generation.
"You also into cars?" I asked her.
"No. Not at all! I drive one, yeah, on occasion."
However, this Corvette is a symbol to her of how much a granddad cared about his grandson.
"It reminds me of my dad," Warner said.
"Feel like he'd be proud, really proud," Braylen said of his granddad.
"I told the teacher, if my daddy were alive, he'd be in here with them," Warner continued.
Before I left, I had one more question for the Henry County High crew.
"What should Braylen call his car?" I called out to the group.
"I think he should call it Rocket!" one student responded.
"I'd name it Awesome!" England added.
"Cherry Bomb!" Braylen said.
Warner had a suggestion too.
"Braylen couldn't say grandpa when he was little," she said. "He called him Bompa. It was out of the blue. So, I think Bompa is a good name for this car. It's pretty incredible daddy thought of him to buy him his first car. He'll be with him, keeping him safe. I truly believe that."
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Our viewers are the best! When Hannah McDonald highlighted the plight of Serenity Sumler, so many of you immediately stepped up. Serenity stopped to help a driver after spotting a wreck and was hit by another car, resulting in terrible injuries. Without the funds to pay for physical therapy, she was at a loss. Because of the kindness of others - she now can rehab and get back to school. Best of luck to her as she trains to become a chef!
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