Aliso Niguel High School welcomes this school year’s new auto teacher, Mr. Folino.
Mr. Folino is going on his eighth year working for Capistrano Unified School District and was a student at ANHS. He has worked at several middle schools for seven years and has begun working with high school students. He is very passionate about mountain biking, working on cars, thrifting and collecting vinyl records.
He got his Associate’s degree in automotive at Saddleback Community College and furthered his education with a Bachelor’s degree in automotive technology at Brigham Young University- Idaho.
Folino says, “I’ve always had an interest in cars and working with them from a young age. Something about taking things apart and putting them together was always super interesting to me.”
Mr. Folino wants to make a difference to students who take his class and pass along everything he knows. Mr. Mack, the high school’s previous auto teacher, taught Folino everything he knows such as how to problem solve and how to think. He encourages students to take his class so they can learn new things, have fun and expand their knowledge about cars.
Mr. Folino says, “I want to revamp the auto program into something awesome… this year we are doing the car show, we will build a couple cool cars for you guys to see what we can do back here, student projects and working on stuff for staff members to branch out a little.”
His goal for this year is to make the auto program something known throughout our school and community. It is beneficial to those who love cars and would like to expand their knowledge or take the class as a fun elective. It teaches practical skills from the real world, presents future career opportunities and teaches students how to safely fix a car when needed. Students enjoy its hands-on learning, problem solving and learning new techniques.
Troy Adams, a senior, says, “If you have trouble with any car or want to work on any car, he’s fully willing to let you do it. He’s ready to fully explain any confusing spots.”
While he is a new teacher, he already has impacted the lives of his students by giving them any opportunity to work on their own cars if they have an issue. He gives them guidance on the problem and is ready to be there when his students need him. Folino helps his students whenever he needs to and enjoys being able to teach students about something he is very passionate about.
Folino is excited to kick off this new year and is ready to educate young minds and let them find their passion for cars.
