YORKTOWN HEIGHTS – Not all instruction at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES’ Tech Center is theoretical. Sometimes, students get to practice their skills in real-world situations – and help someone out in the process.

Such was the case with three students last month. John Moriarty, a Yorktown High School senior in BOCES’ Auto Body program, owns and races a Motocross bike. But after a $1,200 engine repair, his bike was still not operating properly and he was frustrated.

He asked Matt Garrity, a BOCES instructor teaching Small Engine Repair, if he would be able to investigate the problem. Mr. Garrity took the challenge to two of his students – Frank Bartolomeo and Jon Peragine, both Brewster High School juniors.

Mr. Garrity says he is often asked by others to do real-life repairs in the classroom, but it rarely all works out. “This repair fell into the realm of the curriculum, I had the time to supervise, and I had two students who were in good standing and who were aggressively interested in this type of work – and capable of doing it,” Mr. Garrity says.

After John brought the bike in, Mr. Garrity sat down with Frank and Jon, who took out the engine and found the problem. They told the owner what parts were needed, and he had them delivered within 48 hours. With the new parts in place, the students reassembled the bike and returned it to the owner. Oddly enough, the bike’s owner has never met the two engine mechanics, either during the two-week process or after.

Since the repair, John says his bike is “running like a top” and he’s competing much better and working his way up to the top finishing spots in races. “It‘s now running better than ever,” John says. He is currently working toward his goal of competing in Pro Nationals, hopefully by next year. He’s planning to attend Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI) in Florida next year.

Frank Bartolomeo, who is also hoping to attend MMI, says he has some experience outside the classroom, but that this repair was challenging. “There were a lot of things we had to do to make the engine run right,” he says.

Jon Peragine says this was his first real project outside the classroom. “This was much better than working on a scrap engine,” he says, noting that the real-life opportunity came with real-life responsibilities. “It was really a live job. If we had messed up, we would have had to pay for it.”

(Press release courtesy of Chris Heath/BOCES.)