Cars, 283 million of them, are driven around every day in America alone. Some people just see them as 2 tons of steel that moves them around but cars are more than that, they are the backbone to society and the lifestyles across the world are directly controlled by cars. Whether you are trying to get to practice or school, cars are what make us able to achieve our goals. This is fundamentally true here in Mount Vernon. They are what enable us to have success.
How it helps the students here at MVHS, is seen in sophmore Seth Rushford who drives a 2013 Ford Focus. This vehicle is more than a car to him because it has in many ways helped him improve in life. He shares this car with his brother Luke who helped split the cost with the help of their grandparents when they got it in 2024. The car has proven to have many ups and downs. Since both Seth and Luke drive it, they have to decide on who pays for gas and who gets it at what time.“Because I drive it a lot more, it makes it hard to decide who pays for gas and it also makes it hard if we both have to be at different places at once,” Seth stated. But for every decision made it is made between them only making them closer. “Because it’s a hatchback I can fit a lot in the back of the car,” Seth said. “I am able to put a lot in the back for my work and I am able to fit my bags for sports.” The versatility of the hatchback he is able to be best equipped for any competition or job that he may have.
Another example of the impacts that cars have on the students of Mount Vernon is Tommy Rhomberg who is also a sophomore who drives a 2011 Toyota Camry. This car has been beneficial to him through his high school career. When they bought it in 2024, Rhomberg and his parents split the payment for it. The transportation aspect that the car gives him has helped him be able to grow in his athletics whether it was him going to practice or hang out with friends. Having a car has also helped him be able to work. “ I can put my window washing supplies in the trunk,” Tommy said. “I can put my golf stuff in the back. The trunk has a lot of space, so it’s nice.” The space the trunk has gives him a second room of sorts where he can hold all of his supplies that he may need for his daily life.
Alex Briesemeister,a sophomore, has a 2014 Ford F150. This car has a special history, as it has been passed down across all of his brothers. “My dad bought it in 2014, new, and used it till 2016, then Michael (MvHS ‘23) used it for a few years, then Joe (a senior) got it for a few years, then, I get it till I go to college,” Briesemeister stated. This car is more than just a vehicle in their family, it is a right of passage that connects all of them together through common experiences. With it being a truck, the bed has proved vital to Alex to be able to carry all of his equipment and anything he may need to move. The freedom of having a car makes him able to hang out with his friends which is one of his favorite things about the car. “It helps me to do things I like to do with my friends and activities and helps me to get to elite fitness in lisbon and it helps me get to morning practice especially for basketball when it’s cold as well as for getting to football practices” Alex said. This car has transcended to a vehicle that drives all his passions.
With that being said cars are intricate pieces of technology that have been reinvented many times in their nearly 140 years in existence. What was once a form of transportation for rich people is now an identity and a backbone for millions of people including the students here at Mount Vernon.