Mercedes-Benz USA Donates $25,000 and Two Cars To the Automotive High School in Brooklyn
Launches Public-Private Partnership to Improve Education MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 7 -- The Automotive High School (AHS) in Brooklyn has a corporate Valentine: Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA). MBUSA representatives presented the school with a $25,000 check today. This was a follow up to a Mercedes-Benz ML320 donated by MBUSA in December 2002 along with a promise for a second vehicle in the coming months. The donations are designed to help AHS create an engineering curriculum, develop the "Mercedes-Benz Auto Shop," establish an after-school robotics team, and fund two Virtual Enterprise companies that will promote entrepreneurship by providing hands-on training in skills such as management, payroll, inventory, sales and billing. The donation also launches a long-term partnership that will give AHS students the chance to familiarize themselves with the Mercedes-Benz product, work with MBUSA employees in classes and on Virtual Enterprise teams, and take part in internships at the Mercedes-Benz Manhattan dealership. "This partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA will help Automotive High School create the finest automotive curriculum and programming in America," says Evaristo Jiminez, principal of Automotive High School. "The only people more excited than the faculty are the students." The donation to Automotive High School is part of MBUSA's ongoing commitment to supporting education. "Mercedes-Benz is dedicated to helping underserved communities reach the starting line. We believe we have a responsibility to help educate and empower the next generation and it's hard to imagine a better place to do that than right here in our own back yard at Automotive High School," says Paul Halata, president and CEO of MBUSA. "This partnership gives our engineers, technicians and dealers the chance to work directly with students and really get involved with mentoring them. That means a lot to us." Mercedes-Benz USA has previously partnered with Automotive High School to help the school update its curriculum and achieve National Association for Technician Education Foundation (NATEF) certification, therefore better preparing its graduates for careers in the automotive technical field. About Virtual Enterprises International Virtual Enterprises International, founded in 1996 by The New York City Department of Education, is an organization that helps students gain real-world work experience through office simulation in the classroom. A Virtual Enterprise (VE) is a simulated business that is established and managed by students under the guidance of a teacher/facilitator and with the assistance of a business partner. With communication links to nearly 3,000 other VE firms around the world, the VE program exposes students to different cultures, business practices and currencies and gives students a broader international perspective. About AHS Automotive High School in Brooklyn is the largest automotive high school in the country and the only high school in the state to earn certification in all eight NATEF categories. The school, which complements a traditional curriculum with courses relating to the automotive industry, is composed of 800 students, 75 percent of which go on to a post-secondary education. About MBUSA Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, N.J., is responsible for the sales, service and marketing of Mercedes-Benz products in the United States. MBUSA sold 213,225 vehicles in the U.S. during 2002, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history for the sixth consecutive record-breaking year.