Sometimes, when Oxford High School senior Trinette Coleman heads off to cheerleading practice, she gets some strange looks from the other cheerleaders.
They look at her hands and will ask her if she’s washed them.
‘I tell them, ‘This is how they look after being washed 10 times!?? she explained.
If Coleman seems obsessive compulsive about cleanliness, it’s because sometimes even 10 washings isn’t enough to get all the oil, grease and other materials cleaned from her hands after a session in the OHS Auto Club.
‘Trinette is a bright, bubbly type of person, and a pleasure to have in class or in the club,? said Daniel Balsley, OHS auto shop instructor who leads the club. ‘She is sincerely interested in auto service, and takes an active role in both the class and lab activities. She is interested in pursuing additional training in the field of auto technology after graduation this spring.?
The club meets Wednesday afternoons after school and is currently working on restoring a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere by replacing its original 273 engine with a 440 engine (which they are currently overhauling).
Coleman first came to the auto club in her sophomore year.
‘I followed my friend here one day and I loved the smell of it,? she recalled. ‘I just kind of stayed and joined [the auto club] my junior year.?
Coleman said the other cheerleaders think it’s unusual she’s in the auto club.
‘They don’t understand anything that goes on in here,? she said. ‘Everyone in here thinks it’s cool I’m here. I like it all.?
While in the auto club, one of the vehicles the club worked on was Coleman’s 2001 Saturn.
When they worked on her car, she liked working on the brakes since it was the first thing on her car that she did on her own.
Being in the club, Coleman added, has given her a much better understanding of engines–taking them apart, repairing them and putting them back together.