Welcome Mr. Knapp, PAA’s New AutoMech Teacher

David Knapp comes to PAA this fall to teach young technicians the foundations of auto mechanics. He brings with him a wealth of experience. For nearly 25 years, Mr. Knapp worked for the city of Gresham and gained experience on more than 250 different pieces of machinery. From fire engines, police cars, dump trucks, to any other vehicle you can imagine, Mr. Knapp keeps engines in tip-top shape!

“My goal is to make students aware of their cars,” he says. “I want them to know how to do basic preventative maintenance and then teach them how to diagnose a problem as well. It’s a basic and important skill that can save a person thousands of dollars.”

Mr. Knapp also wants to show his students that it’s possible to make a good living in the auto industry. He plans to take students to dealership garages for tours so they may see the potential for career growth in this industry.

Mr. Knapp does much more than car-talk! He spends plenty of time relaxing with a good round of golf, bird-watching, photography, and challenging himself with his new hobby, woodworking. He recently completed a beautiful, free-standing, jigsaw puzzle of a humming bird sipping from a flower.

Knapp’s loyalty and love runs deep for PAA. He is not only a PAA alumnus, but he has also served as a board member representing the Sandy SDA church and has a total of 11 Knapp family members who have graduated from PAA. Two of his four children attend PAA, one is a senior and the other is a freshman.

“PAA is a great school,” he says. “I enjoyed being here as a student and I’ve enjoyed having my kids here. It’s an all-around great school for any kid to grow up in.”