The National Park College (NPC) Marine Technology program recently received a donation of a 2024 AVX 1880 Vexus boat, valued at $34,680. This contribution was facilitated by the marine advisory committee, particularly Reji Short of Trader Bill's, who worked closely with Vexus Boats to secure the donation.
During Thanksgiving break, NPC Career Academy marine instructors Jon Rucker and Brad Newton traveled to Flippin, Arkansas, to collect the boat. The 2024 AVX 1880 will be immediately integrated into the Service and Routine Maintenance classes, providing students with hands-on experience crucial for their future careers.
"The donation of a Vexus AVX 1880 is a huge benefit to our program. We will put it to use quickly, incorporating it into classes this January. NPC Marine has the absolute best industry partners," said assistant professor of Marine Technology, Delmar Hunter.
Rucker highlighted the importance of the donation: "This means everything. We can use this boat for all kinds of different things, from rigging motors to demonstrating how boats are manufactured and wired. It’s going to mean a lot to the program as a whole."
Newton, who facilitated the donation through his connections at Trader Bill's and Vexus, emphasized the boat's relevance: "Fishing boats are extremely popular in this area. It gives us the ability to hang motors, rig the boat out, and install electronics, which will greatly benefit the students when they leave here and get a job out in the real world."
Newton expressed gratitude to Vexus Boats and its president, Keith Daffron, for their support: "I want to thank Keith Daffron and Vexus Boats for donating this boat to the program. It’s going to benefit both the high school and post-secondary programs."
Hunter praised the collaborative effort that made the donation possible: "We’ve been trying to get a bass boat for rigging class for several years. We invited Reji to come to the advisory meeting, basically because of Brad’s connection. Reji got involved and Trader Bill’s got involved and that jump-started the whole thing. We teach a rigging class already in our service and routine maintenance class, but we didn’t have a boat to rig. This just makes that class more realistic. It gives us an opportunity to show our students how difficult it is to pull wires through boats, teaches a little bit of patience and humility.”
The NPC Marine Technology program continues to thrive thanks to the support of industry partners like Vexus Boats, ensuring students receive the best possible education and training. “Big shoutout to Vexus. Thank you very much. We have such great partners for our program and they are always helping us. To have another one like Vexus is pretty cool,” stated Hunter.
Pictured left to right is Hunter, Rucker and Newton.