LA VERGNE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This year, a group of high school students have taken on a major challenge together.
In a world of loud classrooms, the La Vergne High welding class is pretty loud. Hey, if it's loud, that means the crew's working, and that's all fine by principal Theowauna Hatchett.
"They're good at brainstorming and working together and getting the life skills they're developing," she said. "It's going to help them when they leave La Vergne High School."
That includes juniors Talley Barber and Ronan Garrison and a whole bunch of other students who have been on this big project. It's been the biggest, toughest project many of them have ever worked.
"They said, 'okay, do you guys know what you're building?' We said, 'no clue!'" Barber remembered.
La Vergne High was picked by Northern Tool + Equipment for what's called the Northern Tool Legends Build: Student Challenge.
In it, La Vergne High students were given 174 days to transform a Harley-Davidson Nightster into a flat track race bike.
"In all its glory!" Barber said, working on the bike.
They are now in the final days.
"The kids have had a great experience meeting all these different people who have come in, expert painters, people who race," Hatchett said.
All the progress has been tracked with a Northern Tool Legends Build: Student Challenge YouTube series.
"I've been working on the swingarm," Garrison said. "That's been a huge challenge."
"I've been helping with the wiring lately!" Barber added. "At Billy Lane's Son of Speed Nashville Short Track, we are showing the bike off June 6 in Hohenwald, Tennessee. We'll get to see all of our hard work pay off."
I was there for a big day in class. There was a surprise waiting for the crew.
Master of custom motorcycle artistry Dave Perewitz revealed some work he'd done for the bike.
"It's really nice," Barber and Garrison said in unison.
"When it hits the sunlight it just has that pearl, it sparkles," Barber smiled. "The blue and the red looks so good."
If you think back to your high school days, you remember an experience with a certain group of people that helped make you who you are.
"I think this has been a life-changing experience for all of them," Hatchett said.
"We just got really close, I feel," Barber said.
"Now, we're almost like a family," Garrison added. "A lot of the friendships are way beyond this classroom."
"It's great," Perewitz said, looking over the bike. "These kids did a great job."
See. Great things come from being loud is class.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
It's has been a dry spring for us. Nashville is over 6 inches below normal for rainfall for the year with Clarksville over a 9 inches deficit. Kim Rafferty went to a nursery to get a couple of tips that may be useful for you.
- Lelan Statom
