Students at Waldo County Technical Center had the chance to learn and teach skills when the Auto Collision and Composites program collaborated with Employability Skills (ESP) and Strive programs to build and paint electric guitars.

ESP and Strive instructor Adam Fernald stated that he and educational technician Scott Durant took a class together on how to make guitars and knew this would be a great project for their students. They purchased guitar kits through a Perkins grant. Mr. Durant is a musician who has been playing guitar for over 40 years and he is teaching many of the ESP and Strive students to play their new instruments.

Once the guitars were prepped for refinish, students from Auto Collision and Composites taught their ESP and Strive peers how to refinish them using hydro dip, base coat, and clear coat techniques. Teakin Nickerson, a member of the Auto Collision program and Searsport District senior, said “It was good to feel like a teacher and show something I am passionate about”.

Brody Ward, a ninth grader at Mount View high school and ESP student stated that he “got an awesome looking one of a kind guitar” using the hydro dip process. Fellow ESP student, Zady Paige, a ninth grader from Belfast enjoyed learning how to refinish her guitar using the base clear method. She plans to play her guitar at home.