Yuma ABEC-Arizona Business & Education Coalition

The Yuma ABEC/STEDY Spring DRIVE in the Desert is in the books. Chapman Chevrolet was an awesome sponsor once again. The students really liked their gift bags. Desert Kings from San Luis took First, The Flash from Ron Watson finished Second, and Herbie Goes Bananas from Crane finished Third. Thank you to Mr: Bryan Canez for calling the races. The El Charro burritos, tacos, and churros were a hit as always.

The Yuma ABEC/STEDY/U of A/APS/CFA Middle School Career Exploration Camp will be held June 1-4. Check out the flyer below.

Here are the basic facts.

Yuma ABEC (Arizona Business and Education Coalition) provides Automotive Curriculum for middle schools. As an incentive, we host two races a year (December and May).
Today, we had 58 cars, 124 students, from 7 middle schools. Today marks the nine race that ABEC, in conjunction with STEDY (Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma) have conducted.

The results:

RPM from Ron Watson - 1st Place
Gooner Racing from Ron Watson - 2nd Place
Slow from Woodard - 3rd Place

Chapman Chevrolet was our major sponsors. They provided gift bags for students and instructors and supported the parts and repairs for the semester.

Louie Hirth from Liberty Motorsports provided gift cards for the winning team.

The 2025 Yuma ABEC/STEDY/University of Arizona/Elevate Southwest Career Exploration Camp was a huge success.. Thank you so much to Arizona Public Service, Allo Fiber, Louie Hirth from Liberty Motorsports, Mostly Muffins, and Gowan Company for sponsoring the lunches throughout the week.
A gigantic shout out goes to Clint Harrington from Pilkington Construction for being a major sponsor of our camp this year.
Middle School students from all over Yuma County got to experience Digital Animation, Sports Medicine, Cosmetology/Hairstyling, Network Security, Biomedical Technology, Law and Public Safety, Agricultural/Life Sciences, and Engineering over the four days.
Feedback from students and parents was very positive.

48 teams,143 students, representing 7 middle schools competed today in the Yuma ABEC Drive in the Desert sponsored by Chapman Chevrolet. Thank you to Louie Hirth from Liberty Motor Sports for supplying gift cards to the winners. First Place honors went to Banana Split from Woodard. Second Place was captured by Turbo from Crane. The Brushless Bandits from Somerton Middle School finished in Third Place. Jonathan Sheldahl from Gila Vista defended his title in the Principals/Instructors race. Thank you Eddie from Fast Eddie’s RC Hobbies for calling the races.

Chapman Chevrolet sponsored our Spring DRIVE in the Desert. Their generous support and the hard work of the DRIVE Instructors made this event possible. Pictures of the students and the results are up next.

Yuma ABEC, STEDY, the University of Arizona - Yuma Campus, and Elevate Southwest are offering a middle school career exploration camp. Just scan the QR Code to register.

Dr. Cullison’s students at Fourth Avenue Jr. High have been busy creating homes for Lucy’s Warblers. Their research, construction efforts, and collaboration with the Yuma Audubon Society resulted in the installation of these birdhouses at the Yuma East Wetlands Park.

It was a great day at McGraw Elementary School as the students made the Tunnel of Hope march and enjoyed a career day with some very engaged community partners. I was pleased to give them a little information about career and technical electives ahead of them at Gila Vista and their future high schools.

Day 2 of the Yuma Southwest Contractors Career and Trades Expo provided another great opportunity for Middle School and High School students to explore a variety of career paths. STEDY students did a wonderful job of highlighting the Digital Animation, Medical Assisting, and Cosmetology-Hairstyling central programs.

Dr. Cullison’s students at 4th Avenue Jr. High are expanding their construction projects. In addition to the fabulous Garden Sheds that they have been producing, they are now building birdhouses for the Lucy’s Warbler. In conjunction with the Audubon Society, completed birdhouses will be installed along the Colorado River in the East Wetlands area.
A much larger undertaking involves the remodeling of storage containers to create site construction offices and living spaces (tiny homes or casitas). The students will be working under the guidance of Clint Harrington from Pilkington Construction and Chris Thompson from Thompson Architects. Community partners include the City of Yuma, the Housing Authority City of Yuma (HACY), the Arizona Housing and Development Corporation (AHDC), the Arizona Business and Education Coalition Coalitions (ABEC, and the Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma (STEDY).