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OLATHE, Kan. -- At Olathe Advanced Tech-
nical Center (OATC), students have been
working nonstop on a unique project: trans-
forming a golf cart.
“I saw the cart when we first brought it in
when it was all white and it was dirty and
just a mess, and seeing it now is a pretty
cool accomplishment, what everyone to-
gether accomplished,” Olathe North junior
Jake Adams said.
Months later, it’s been transformed.
“We put a three-inch lift on it, new wheels
and tires, and then we’re waiting for the
roof to get done so we can have some extra
LED lights,” Olathe North junior Garrett
Schnoor said.
The new transportation vehicle will assist
people with disabilities getting to various
events throughout the Olathe district.
“We started working on it and were like, ‘Oh,
it’s a grade. Let’s just get it done,’ but then
we started working on it and knew what
was going to happen,” Blue Valley South-
west senior Jack Palecki said. “We felt the
impact it was going to have on us, and we
didn’t really worry about the grade.”
It was a joint effort from the tech programs
within OATC.
“Construction trades is even working on the
mounts. You have collision doing the paint,
welding obviously doing the handicap deck
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WWW.GOLFCAROPTIONS.COM
piece,” auto tech instructor Edward Hensley said, “and
auto tech putting in the lifted suspension.”
Hensley said in his 10 years, this is the largest
multi-program project OATC has done.
Students said although they may be graduating soon,
they’re leaving their mark, hoping to create an even
more inclusive community.
“It’s important to make sure that even in like at school
or whatever that everyone has easy access and that
was the main driving force behind the project,” Olathe
Northwest senior Layne Christiansem said.
“It should be the kindness of everyone’s heart to do
this for people,” Palecki said.
The Olathe Foundation financed $5,000 for the project.
EPR Properties financed $2,500 for it.
Hensley said he expects the cart to be completed and
ready to use by the end of May.