Many students at Loy Norrix know about the lower wings and are frequently assigned classes in them. The most uncommon wing would be the lower M-wing. Despite its presence on the school maps, many students never travel to the basement and tend to go through all four years without hearing or let alone visiting the lower M-wing.
Traveling to the lower M-wing is scarce since no one really has a reason to go there unless they are assigned a class down there. The lower M-wing houses Education for Employment (EFE) classes such as Automotive Technology and Computer Technology. These classes are great since they teach about the ever-expanding fields since technology is growing at a faster and faster pace.
Drive into the Loy Norrix Garage
Automotive Technology is a class where students that enroll get to repair and learn about automobiles.
Junior Steven Finley said, “The course is mostly hands-on and computer training with the occasional test.”
The hands-on training gets students working on cars donated from General Motors doing things as simple as an oil change to changing the shocks. The computer training has the students perform a seventeen-hour online math course so they qualify for the math credit the course awards. The math is integrated into the course since it is a necessity for things such as measurements or torque tests.
“You get to be certified with prior knowledge of working on cars,” said junior Tate Sturgis.
This certification from the program gives colleges and employers knowledge that the student is qualified for mechanical work. However, they do not work on cars for the public during the course.
“[Students earn] articulated credits that would transfer to certain colleges,” said Automotive Technology teacher Dustin Bunker.
Some colleges that accept this course as a credit include Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Ferris State, Northwestern Ohio, and West Michigan College. Students that complete this course receive a SP-2 certificate, which certifies proper training in safety, to regulation standards and is accepted by employers.
Getting Information through Technology
Information Technology is a class where students have the ability to repair computers and learn computer basics.
Information Technology  teacher Rostram Ahmad Duad, said, “[The Information Technology course] offers the opportunity for students to get certificates for gainful employment after high school and earn up to twelve college credits.”
The certificates are from Comptia’s which is a recognized standardization company that certifies the students’ knowledge of basic software, hardware, networking and security skills. The students get to do a bit of everything such as different operations on the computer involving hardware and software.
Senior Connor Zook said, “Learning IT opens up new possibilities’ for jobs and employment in the IT sector.”
 The course consists of two sections. One section has students watching videos and performing virtual labs.
“As knowledge grows, we move on to physical labs where students work with the switches and cords of the computers,” said Ahmad Duad. These physical labs make up the second section of the course by providing hands-on experience with possible many technological issues.