Plymouth, WI – December, 2011: On Tuesday December 20th Theresa Van Horn
presented a check to the Plymouth School Board in the amount of $15,000
as the first of three installments pledged by the Van Horn Automotive Group. The donation is to be used for renovations to the school
districts Technology Education & Engineering Department for the
purchase of tools, shop equipment and improvements to the transportation
technology program, with the first installment being specifically
designated for the purchase of new hoists. Additionally, the Van Horn Auto Group will offer use of its own shop areas, equipment, and vehicles for
use, as well as the knowledge & expertise of their staff to assist in curriculum development. 
Van Horn Dodge Chrysler Jeep owner Chuck Van Horn and general manager
Richard Strong – a PHS graduate – approached Board President Mark Rhyan
with the idea after touring the facility and saw improvements to other
tech labs. Group Co-Owner Theresa Van Horn presented the first check
last Tuesday at the School Board meeting and noted “we have a lot of
current and former employees who are graduates of the high school.” Going on to state that “Good tech’s are hard to find for us and
nothing’s better than finding one from your own community…We’d like to
get the kid’s to see that an automotive technician is a good career, one
that is increasingly relying on computers and technical knowledge…
especially with becoming factory certified and that kind of thing. So
we thought this would be a great way for us to help get students started
on that career path. The partnership will also allow us to provide
stepping stones such as internships, job shadowing, cars to work on, as
well as the expertise of our staff to share the benefit of their
experience in the classroom.”
“This is an example of the type of partnerships that
this board and its leadership have been trying to create over the past
five years…” commented Board President Mark Rhyan. He went on to say “I
certainly applaud Van Horn for their generosity and specifically Dick
(Strong) for approaching us with the idea. I think it’s a fabulous
opportunity for our school, our students and certainly for future
employees for (Van Horn) and others around the county.”
“I can’t express enough how appreciative we are,” said Superintendent
Clark Reinke. “This is going to make our High School Tech Ed
department among the top in Wisconsin”