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.
"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 originally caught the crew in their final days of the build. Could they get the bike done in time for a June 4 unveiling?
At a Northern Tool + Equipment location in Murfreesboro, the students gathered as the bike was revealed.
"Every time I look at it, I get a big smile on my face," Barber said. "We as a team worked our butts off. I feel very proud of myself and proud of my team members."
"It showcases their hard work and the dedication they've put into doing a great job," Hatchett added.
The bike is going to be on display at the Sema Show in Las Vegas for auto professionals. The students will also be seen on an upcoming show on Racer Network.
A lot of us have those certain memories from high school that just never leave us. For Barber, this experience has been that.
"I kinda wish I was a senior, so this could be my last high school memory," she laughed. "Now I'll walk into the shop like, 'The bike used to be here! Everybody used to be here!' I'll look at this bike, and I'll always have those memories."
See? Great things come from being loud in class.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Young or old, we all love to play board and card games! Those games become even more important when you are indoors and don't have the ability to get outside, like patients in a hospital. Austin Pollack shares the story of students in a Nashville family who have helped re-launch the Red Wagon project to collect games for patients at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
- Lelan Statom
