Joliet Central High School Electronics students recently said goodbye to a beloved classroom companion — Andy the Ambulance — after completing a months-long restoration project that will send him into the community as part of the Joliet Fire Department’s safety education program.

Students unveiled Andy’s transformation during a special classroom visit with Battalion Chief of Emergency Medical Services Timothy Chaplin, Community Paramedic Eric Clem, and JTHS Superintendent Dr. Karla Guseman. Under the direction of Joliet Central Welding and Electronics Instructor Nicole Gubbins, students restored Andy’s lights, voice box, eye mechanisms and water-squirting system, bringing the decades-old teaching tool back to life.

Gubbins said Andy quickly became part of the classroom and a favorite project for her students. “Andy has become a part of our classroom, and we are sad to see him go, but we’re excited knowing he will be out in the community teaching safety,” she said. “When we received the truck, a lot was broken. The students had to dive deep into critical thinking and problem-solving, encountering some really sneaky issues that forced them to apply what they have been learning. In the end, the biggest problem came down to two tiny fuses and a few copper strands hidden in an inline battery fuse — something you would never know unless you tore it apart. A $15 fix, and they had him working again.”

She added that the project helped students discover new interests and abilities. “Whether students love or hate coding at first, you never know what interest a project will spark,” she said. “This exposed them to real-world troubleshooting, helped them see connections across skills, and revealed unbelievable talent they didn’t know they had.”

Project leaders Christian Torres, Jeremy Martinez Zapot, Javier Barrios and Greg Rozman were instrumental in diagnosing and repairing Andy’s 1990s-era systems. Torres said the project highlighted the importance of collaboration. “This project was really all about teamwork and working with my classmates to troubleshoot, figure out what was wrong and learn how to fix it together,” he said.

Rozman said the work held personal meaning. “Fixing something older than I am was pretty cool,” he said. “My grandpa taught me a lot about electronics and mechanics, and with this project I got to apply what I learned in class and what my grandpa taught me.”

Chaplin praised both the work and the partnership. “A team of 30 community educators will now get to work writing the new curriculum for Andy and Freddie, geared toward young children, safety presentations and parades,” he said. “What the students at Central and West did is amazing. They restored technology that dates back to the ’90s, long before these students were even born.”

Guseman said the restoration demonstrates the power of school-community partnerships. “This project shows how learning truly comes to life when students know their work will make a real difference in the community,” she said. “We are grateful to the Joliet Fire Department for this opportunity and proud of the meaningful contribution our students have made.”

Originally retired for many years, Andy will now join Freddie the Fire Truck, restored last month by Joliet West students, as part of the fire department’s growing collection of hands-on safety education tools. After months of work and a final farewell from the students who brought him back to life, Andy is now ready for his next chapter — educating and inspiring children throughout Joliet.

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