Pub. 1 2019 Issue 3

P ortsmouth High School seniors Aaron White and Sheamus Powers proved that with hard work, determination, sup- port from industry, and their clear talent for their trade, New Hampshire can field a truly competitive team at the National Automotive Technology Competition. Team New Hampshire cracked the top 10 at this highly competitive and prestigious event, placing 7th among all Auto 2 students in the U.S. Beating out major metropolitan hubs such as Los Angeles and New York, White and Powers made one thing clear: they are world-class students destined to become world-class auto technicians. Portsmouth High School Automotive Instructor Dave Lilly has worked tirelessly to elevate the level of instruction in Portsmouth, and, as a baseball coach on the side, clearly knew what was needed to take these two students to the height of their potential. Lilly mapped out a training plan after White and Powers' win at the NHADA Automotive Technician State Championship. With the bid to go to New York City for nationals, nothing was going to be left to chance. Thanks to invalu- able assistance from LRCC’s Jamie Decato, these instructors pro- vided every opportunity possible for White and Powers to succeed. This included Portsmouth Chevrolet loaning a car specifically for PortsmouthStudents Place in top 10 at Nationals JESSICA DADE ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EDUCATION FOUNDATION CAREER COORDINATOR D R I V E 20