LOS ANGELES (March 19, 2025) – Can something as simple as building car models help keep high schoolers engaged and successful in school? At three (3) Learn4Life schools in northern Los Angeles, it seems to be working. They have a robust car model program that is popular with students and hailed by teachers as a good way to keep kids engaged.
“It’s a fun elective and it has been great for mentorship and helping keep kids away from gangs,” said Anthony Castaneda, who teaches the class. “We’ve seen students who were shy and withdrawn come alive in this program, discovering new talents and boosting their self-confidence.”
Castaneda is a student retention specialist whose job at Learn4Life is to work with students to make sure they are coming to school, turning in their homework and completing tests. One of his colleagues gave him the idea – to tie into the huge car culture in L.A. and let teens learn about cars while designing their dream auto.
“It’s sort of like the MTV show Pimp My Ride, just on a smaller scale,” he said. “They must earn a specific number of credits to participate, so those kids in the program are focused on schoolwork and even look forward to coming to school.”
Creating car models isn’t just a guy thing – almost half the students in the program are girls.
“The girls tend to be more detail-oriented and are really good with finish work like airbrushing,” said Castaneda. “All the students are developing life skills like patience, attention to detail and following instructions. But what I especially like to see is how they are developing friendships with others in the class.”
The 10-week course meets twice a week for 60-90 minutes, plus they take field trips to automotive museums and body shops. A highlight this year was a visit to West Coast Customs, the premiere automotive custom shop known for creating one-of-a-kind cars for celebrities, sports stars and even royalty.
“Their huge facility is filled with amazing automobiles,” he said. “Some of the students didn’t want to leave. It has sparked an interest in pursuing a career in the automotive industry for several students.”
At each of Learn4Life’s 85 public schools, there is at least one student retention specialist like Castaneda.
“We know that teens learn best by doing and collaborating, so fun classes where they can explore their creativity help make that happen,” he said.