AUTO SHOP NEEDS TOOLS, WHEELS.

Byline: JOANNE CRAWFORD

ROSAMOND - Rosamond High School automotive shop teachers and students are looking for financial support from the community, as well as donations of late-model vehicles, auto parts, tools and equipment in good condition.

In early August, the auto shop program received funding from the Southern Kern Unified School District for two large storage containers valued at about $2,700 each, auto shop teacher Charles Gordon said.

The bins are needed for keeping tools, parts and other materials inside when not in use to keep the lab area clean and neat, he said.

``Now we have a place to store things where they're not taking up teaching space in the classroom,'' Gordon said. ``Before everything had to be stored inside or outside. On the outside, it was unsightly. We were overcrowded inside the classroom. We put in a request for them and the district agreed we needed these things in order to function.''

Gordon is seeking funding for at least one automotive simulator, which ranges in price from about $2,200 to $8,000, depending on the size, he said.

``It's just like a flight simulator, where you learn the intricacies of the problem, learn to troubleshoot them and then go to the actual vehicle to perform analysis, repair and troubleshooting,'' Gordon said.

Auto shop club students are organizing a car and motorcycle show at the high school on the second weekend of May.

Club members are recruiting entries and seeking community sponsors and assistance from area law enforcement, merchants and citizens willing to donate time, talents, money and raffle prizes to the effort, Gordon said.

The auto shop program, consisting of six classes and about 145 students, is continuously in need of auto-related parts, tools and especially late-model cars in good condition, Gordon said.

``We do have enough old vehicles,'' Gordon said. ``We need the later-model vehicles donated in order to correspond with the type of training we're going to be doing. . . . It's a matter of finding the cars and finding the dollars to get the necessary items. I want to give these guys the later technology such as . . . your fuel-injection system and computer diagnoses analysis . . . things that give them job marketable skills.''

Anyone interested in assisting the Rosamond High School auto shop program by donating money, equipment, late-model cars or volunteer time, can call Gordon at the school at [phone].

Anyone with cars to donate are encouraged to call Gordon first because of the need to comply with district screening procedures, he said.

LANCASTER - The Antelope Valley High School class of 1937 will hold a reunion Oct. 11 at the Antelope Valley Inn.

Any alumni graduating during the 1920s and 1930s are invited to join in the 60th-year celebration.

For more information call, Dorothy Oakes at [phone] or Irene Swenson at [phone].

PALMDALE - The Palmdale High School Falcon Pageantry Corp is seeking local merchants interested in advertising in the program for the December field show.

Anyone interested can call tournament chairwoman Tracy Black at [phone].