Worland High School Awarded a Ford Taurus
for School’s Automotive Technology Program

Students win vehicle with 15th-place finish while representing Wyoming in

2009 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals

Cheyenne, Wyo. 11/18/2009 – Worland High School was awarded a Ford Taurus for its automotive technology program thanks to Alfred Hefenieder and Jesse Hernandez. The pair earned the vehicle for their school while representing the state of Wyoming at the 2009 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals last June. Alfred Hefenieder and Jesse Hernandez took 15th place, winning a vehicle for their school’s automotive technology program to use in training future automotive technicians in addition to scholarship opportunities to continue their education. The pair was led by their Worland High School instructor Mike Sapp.

“Ford is a valued partner in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills, and its donation of these vehicles showcases that,” said Joe Beatty, AAA Automotive Service Manager “Having the opportunity to learn the mechanics and engineering behind these Ford vehicles will pay tremendous dividends to the students.”

Following an online exam and their states’ hands-on competition, Alfred Hefenieder and Jesse Hernandez received the highest scores and were named the Wyoming state champions, earning them a spot in the National Finals. They then traveled to Dearborn, Mich., home of AAA Michigan and Ford World Headquarters, to face off against competitors representing the other 49 states in written and hands-on competition that tested their automotive knowledge and problem-solving skills.

The 50 state teams triumphed over more than 9,500 auto tech students who entered the competition last fall at high schools across the country.

The top-15 teams in the 2009 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals were awarded vehicles. They included:

1 Minnesota (Justin Dwyer, Matthew Ludwig) Faribault High School, Faribault, Minn., instructed by Mark Lessman

2 Colorado (Charles Duran, Dylan Keyes) Doherty High School, Colorado Springs, Colo., instructed by Brad Wheaton

3 Alabama (Zach Evans, Jared Hudson) Albert P Brewer High School, Somerville, Ala., instructed by Robert Bryson

4 Texas (Juan Correa, Andrew McConnell) Birdville Career Center, Halton City, Texas, instructed by Olin R. Harrington

5 California (Eric Reed, Doug Rinnell) San Luis Obispo High School, San Luis Obispo, Calif., instructed by Jeff Lehmkuhl

6 New York (Mike Palladino, Andrew Matthys) Wayne Tech & Career Center, Williamson, N.Y., instructed by Chet Kuhn

7 Kansas (Joseph Vanderputten, Dillon Percival) Kaw Area Tech School, Topeka, Kansas, instructed by Robert Oswald

8 Indiana (Jarrett Coberly, Nicholas Vogler) Pike Central High School, Petersburg, Ind., instructed by Buddy Lee

9 Arkansas (Brandon & Nolan Hildalgo – twin brothers) Jacksonville High School, Jacksonville, Ark., instructed by Shawn Poindexter

10 Iowa (Cody Gudenkauf, Michael Hermsen) West Delaware High School Manchester, Iowa, instructed by Jason Guyer

11 Kentucky (Jesse Bardis, Austin White) Shelby Co Area Tech Center, Shelbyville, Ky., instructed by Bruce Edwards

12 Wisconsin (Kieron Kohlmann, Jonathan Ramczyk) Washington Park High School, Racine, Wis., instructed by David Dixon

13 Oklahoma (Jeffrey Dill, Jack Gibson) Eastern Oklahoma Co Tech Center, Choctaw, Okla., instructed by Jim LaFevers

14 Hawaii (Chester Lee Coloma, Edler Espiritu) Maui High School, Kahului, Hawaii, instructed by Shannon Rowe

15 Wyoming (Alfred Hefenieder, Jesse Hernandez) Worland High School, Worland, Wy., instructed by Mike Sapp

Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills is a nationwide automotive technology competition for high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing careers as automotive service technicians. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the competition that tests students’ automotive knowledge, workmanship and problem-solving abilities with a written test as well as a race against the clock to diagnose and properly repair intentionally “bugged” vehicles. Ford and AAA are dedicated to the competition as part of their commitment to the future of automotive service in America. For information on competing in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills, visit AutoSkills.com.

AAA MountainWest Club is dedicated to providing its over 170,000 members in Alaska, Montana and Wyoming with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services. A fully tax-paying, not-for-profit corporation, AAA MountainWest, Inc. works for the improvement of motoring and traveling conditions and is a leader for travel, civic and safety issues. In 2008, AAA was voted the #1 socially responsible business brand in America by Landor’s BrandAsset® Valuator. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com. To have up-to-date news and safety information from AAA delivered right to your desktop, sign-up for the new RSS Feed at http://mtw.aaashare.com/index.php#rss.