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High School Chopper Class
23 Oct 2008 by Snakebit Sam in Blog, News / 14 Comments
I bet there’s not one person out there who didn’t have a favorite class back in high school. Usually they were the easiest ones. Well I bet I know which one is the most popular in Kennedy High School in Bloomington, Minnesota. That would be the one taught by Kevin Baas. The one that has the project of building a chopped motorcycle during the school year at KHS.Under the tutelage of Mr. Baas and with the sponsorship of Spectro Oils the students get real life lessons on all aspects of the project. They learn how to plan the bike. How to obtain or manufacture the necessary parts and then assemble the bike within the school year. They must learn their lessons well because they have drawn accolades at various shows where the bikes have been entered.
I believe KHS in Minnesota deserves credit for allowing Mr. Baas to supervise such a diverse school project as the chopper build. Kudos should go out to Spectro Oils for sponsoring the project which might produce some of this country’s future bike builders. Now back when I was at KHS (Kittanning High School) in Pennsylvania all I got to make was a tin tool box and a wooden gun rack. How times have changed. For more info on Spectro Oils products go to www.spectro-oils.com
14 Comments
mstemp
Hey Sam,
Chopper Class with Mister Baas has been operating for a few years – 4 or 5 at least. Maybe Kevin can fill in the details for us by posting a comment here. In any case, many companies have come in to help these kids, as well as similar classes at several other high schools. Notable among the mentors have been Donnie Smith, Brian Klock, Dave Perewitz and Billy Lane. S&S has donated major parts, Northern Tool has provided shop equipment, and I know I’m leaving out dozens of others. One thing all of these entities have in common is the knowledge that they’re grooming and encouraging the next generation of riders, a noble effort.
Kevin was the first teacher to really make a class like this happen and he was joined by another school in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Area, St. Francis High. Donnie Smith invited the schools to have a Chopper Class Build-off at his Invitational show a few years back and the fallout from that was several other schools coming in to compete the next year – schools from New York and Pennsylvania (Hey Sam, check out the school in PA – maybe they’ll let you go back to high school!) I’ve heard that a school from Canada plans to bring a bike to Donnie’s show in March of ’09 and that would be awesome. It’s all good!
23 Oct 2008 10:10 am
Weezie
Sam…..did you spend time in the library at KHS??
23 Oct 2008 10:10 am
Kevin (TEACH) Baas
Thanks for the plug here. We have been building bikes in class since 2003. What started as just a small after school club has grown to a take for credit school listed course. It has been a great journey and I thank all sponsors new and old who have helped us through the years keep this dream alive. I look forward to this years builds (we have three) and I am in need of many items and sponsors to get teh bikes finished. One nice thing about the bikes we build is they do get seen at many local events and also large events like the Donnie Smith Invitational, Smoke Out East, Sturgis, the S&S 50th party etc. so the sponsors get plugged to everyone who comes and looks at the bikes. Anyone interested in helping us out can contact me through my website http://www.baasmetalcraft.com or through the chopper class website http://www.kennedychopperclass.com
23 Oct 2008 10:10 am
Snakebit Sam
Weezie,
I wish I had taken advantage of it more than I did. I think I had a study hall in the library one year. Other than that it was just to go in and read Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News.
Nowadays the kids have more options in the library as you well know. We had a librarian, not a multi-media expert like some schools have today. Today’s kids don’t know how good they have it.
Sam
23 Oct 2008 10:10 am
Science Babe
What an awesome way to get high school kids interested in physics, chemistry, engineering and so much more! Nothing is better than taking what you learn in books and applying it to a hands on project. My congrats to Mr. Baas for such a successful class!
23 Oct 2008 03:10 pm
Samuel Fuentes
Hey guys,
I was an outstanding student in High School. Unfortunetly I was usuaally out standing in th halls. At 54 do you think that if I moved out to Bloomingtonm, they would let me back in?
Seriously, great article about a great program. Especially in todays world. Young people have got to realize that not all things are electronic. A well rounded education should include how to work “Hands-on”
Thumbs up to Mr.Bass and (of course) Spectro.
24 Oct 2008 02:10 am
Weezie
You are so right Sam. Many students do not realize how good they have it. Many of the students here at North Allegheny go to the vo-tech school in the afternoon and they often tell me there is nothing for them in our school library. I set them straight in a hurry. I hook them into the library by pointing out our magazines but also an online auto repair reference database that is provided by our Pennsylvania State Library system. And guess where my issues of IW end up?? Yep…..here in our school library!
24 Oct 2008 05:10 am
Snakebit Sam
It’s amazing how when you get older you realize how smart you parents and teachers were. Especially if you’re one of those kids that say “I’ll never use this stuff after I get out of school”.
When you get in the real world jobs and you realize you need that stuff every day.
If you want to build motorcycles you need to know geometry and physics.
If you want to brew beer you need to know chemistry.
For just simple living you need math and reading skills.
Sometimes that little light bulb pops on and you say, “boy I wish I’d have paid more attention in that class”.
24 Oct 2008 07:10 am
Ulle Nome
Sorry to correct but, Bass was not the first, nor is he the best, there is at least two others i know that have been doing it years before him. the only reason people think that way is because he is the most outspoken, the other two do it for the kids not the hype that comes with it, that’s why they stay quiet. All I am saying it give credit where it’s deserved. bass deserves credit too but it’s a summer party for him, does he bring the kids anywhere to get credit along with him? I’ve been to a couple events where this bikes were, i saw no kids. so the question many of us are asking is who really benefits from all this?
11 Dec 2008 08:12 am
Kevin TEACH Baas
Well Ulle, I would have no problem if you brought facts out on another class or two who have been building the custom bikes before me, and it would cool to hear that more are doing it as I see how great it is for the kids in my class. I have been teaching since 1995 and this has been one project that has kids WANTING to be in school, they come early and stay late to work on the bikes. I do feel my class has been unique due to the fact that the kids get donations from industry to build the bikes that we use to fund the class that was on the road to be dropped due to budget cuts. This is why we need the hype, it helps us secure sponsors who can see there donations being used on the student bikes and displayed with pride. When we approached all the big names in the industry no one had heard of any program doing this so we were fortunate to get the sponsors we have. Yes there are other tech schools and such that buy and build kit bikes but that is not how we do ours. Now the fact that you seem to be attacking me that it is just a summer party and saying we are not the “best” which we never said we were shows me your just another negative person who has too much free time and is jealous of the recognition the class and I am getting. I do not have time for the few sorry fellows who feel the need to try and create drama and negative energy on this, I have way more supporters and friends in the industry behind me to bother with the few who spend there time looking for negative stuff to stir up controversy. All of my students are invited to come to the events with there parents, and as most are not 18 years old it would be foolish for me to bring them to events like the smoke out where it is an Adult only type of atmosphere. I have spent many many unpaid hours working with the kids and building the class to where it is today, and have spent much of my own money transporting the student built bikes around to promote so when I get to Sturgis or the smoke out I am entitled to be able to kick back and relax and party with all my friends. Next time you see me at an event please do introduce yourself, and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
11 Dec 2008 09:12 am
Kevin TEACH Baas
11 Dec 2008 07:12 pm
Kevin TEACH Baas
By the looks of the pics I’d say the kids benefit 100% from this way more in class and at the local shows than they would being at the smoke out or Sturgis.
14 Dec 2008 02:12 pm
Marc Mazz Mazerolle
Teach, you don’t have to defend yourself against this stuff!! We work our asses off every freakin’ day to make our programs work, we don’t need to be subjected to this crap. Everything we do is for the kids, the nature of our jobs alone should speak that in volumes. The fact that we spend so many other hours hammering away trying to build some cool stuff that is relevant to these kids, makes it even more so. Too bad it only takes a few to make a good thing seem bad. Who cares who was first, second or tenth, what matters is that is it happening. These are the greatest programs in school today in my opinion, they follow the curriculum closer, they teach so many different things to the kids and gives them opportunities they may not have imagined. If I can make it to Minnesota this March, I would be proud to stand with all of the teachers and consider myself lucky to be one of them. Nuf said.
12 Jan 2009 07:01 pm
mstemp
Ulle,
If you know of other teachers who have programs similar to Chopper Class, please give us the details. No sense keeping such good work a secret. Besides, those other teachers would be wise to network in the industry and get the word out – not just for the tangible help it can offer such as parts, tools and technical input but it ultimately benefits the kids to meet industry people, especially if these kids are being groomed to become participants.
As for meeting the kids in Mr. Baas’s class, I’m not alone there – thousands of people have had that opportunity at the Donnie Smith Show each year in Minneapolis. In addition to the class from Kennedy High, other teams from the local area plus teams from other states such as PA and NY have traveled to Donnie’s show to display bikes they’ve built in shop classes.
If you ask me, all of these teachers are doing the right thing – getting their students into the real world. I commend them and I suggest you get to the next Donnie Smith show and talk to the students. It’s eminently clear who benefits from these programs.
21 Jan 2009 04:01 pm
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