Summer school has been functioning at the SUSU Department of Cars and Car-caring Service since 2016. It was organized jointly with Reginas Motor Vehicle Complex, which is the biggest operator of the Ural motor vehicle market, and the base enterprise for the Department.
The Head of the Department of Cars and Car-caring Service Aleksandr Rulevsky shares on who attends the school in Reginas, what activities take place there, and whether its participants like it.
– Who is the summer school in Reginas intended for?
− Pupils of the 8th to 10th grades of Chelyabinsk schools and gymnasiums are invited for participation in this summer school. Schools are selected jointly with the SUSU Faculty of Pre-university Training. The students and their teachers remain totally satisfied with the work of the summer school and instantly “make reservations” to participate next year. This year 80 pupils have become participants of the summer school.
– What task is set for the summer school in Reginas?
− The main task is to stimulate development of interest among school pupils in engineering specialisations and their future education at SUSU, first and foremost – in the Polytechnic Institute, at the Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty, and the best outcome is their choosing the Department of Cars and Car-caring Service. We have such examples – two of the people who attended the school in 2016 have already successfully finished their first year of studies here.
– How does the summer school work?
− The school’s work is organized in sessions, 5 days each. Classes are held from 10:00 to 13:45. The schedule is the following: Monday – a big excursion at the enterprise, visiting dealer and technical centers, body production and the plant of motor vehicle components. After that classes (a lecture and a discussion) on motor vehicle history are held.
On Tuesday classes on car structure will be held, and a creative task will be given. This year pupils had to prepare a presentation on “A Car of the Future. How We See It”. For that pupils are grouped into teams of 3 to 5 people and prepare their presentations at home.
Wednesday is a team training day on solving invention tasks. The Head of the Chelyabinsk Center of Rosatom Larisa Matveeva works with children. During the training, children randomly grouped into teams of three or four are suggested to complete an assignment on creating a technical project form the materials at hand. When the task is being fulfilled, the students learn the basics of creative team work. The members of the winning team are awarded with valuable prizes.
Thursday will feature a class on the road traffic regulations which will be held by the employees of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. Pupils watch films, and tests on the road traffic regulations are held in the Department’s computer class. After that pupils show their presentations under “A Car of the Future” contest. The contest jury will include the representatives of the Department and Reginas company. Friday is a sports day. The events take place at the rowing sport base at Shershni water storage basin. First a warm-up is held, selected GTO tests (Ready for Labour and Defense Physical Education Tests) are passed, then children undergo instruction briefing, and do a race on two 20-seat Dragon boats. After that when ashore, the competition results are announced, and the session closes.
– Do pupils remain satisfied?
− We do polling among pupils to find out their opinions and preferences. Approximately 75% say that they remain totally satisfied, and 20-25% − partially satisfied with the school’s work. We have not yet heard from anyone that they “just wasted their time” at the school. I especially remember one questionnaire which said “It’s so good that I can come to the summer school every day”. That is probably what we value the most.