Fairfield High Unveils Donated Honda Passport for Manufacturing Class

The 2025 Honda Passport AWD will allow students to disassemble and reassemble a real vehicle, gaining practical experience.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 3:52am

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An abstract, motion-blurred image of a 2025 Honda Passport AWD in shades of blue, grey, and silver, conveying the energy and dynamism of automotive technology.The donated Honda Passport will allow Fairfield High students to disassemble and reassemble a real vehicle, gaining invaluable hands-on experience in automotive manufacturing.Today in Birmingham

Fairfield High Preparatory School in Birmingham, Alabama has received a 2025 Honda Passport AWD as a gift from Honda and the United Way. The vehicle, nicknamed 'Blueberry' by instructor Karl Owens, will be used in the school's Modern Manufacturing Program to give students hands-on experience disassembling and reassembling a real automobile.

Why it matters

The donated Honda Passport provides Fairfield High students with a unique opportunity to gain practical, real-world experience in automotive manufacturing that mirrors what happens in an actual production facility. This exposure helps build students' confidence, skills, and awareness of potential careers in the automotive industry and other manufacturing fields.

The details

The vehicle was unveiled during a ceremony attended by students, faculty, and representatives from Honda and the United Way. Instructor Karl Owens explained that the class will be able to take the Passport completely apart and put it back together, allowing them to learn how a vehicle is constructed. Teriann Bailey, workforce partnership lead at Honda, said the donated car is 'a classroom' that will give students direct experience with a real product. Fairfield High senior LaDarius Dawson expressed gratitude for the program and the hands-on skills he has learned from Owens.

  • The 2025 Honda Passport AWD was unveiled to Fairfield High students on April 3, 2026.

The players

Karl Owens

Instructor of the Modern Manufacturing Program at Fairfield High Preparatory School.

Teriann Bailey

Workforce partnership lead at Honda.

LaDarius Dawson

A senior at Fairfield High Preparatory School and one of the first students in the Modern Manufacturing Program.

Johnathan Byrd

Modern manufacturing project manager of the Modern Manufacturing Program Center of Excellence.

Brian Burton

An alumnus of Fairfield High who is now an engineer at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant.

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What they’re saying

“It allows the class to disassemble and reassemble the vehicle, giving them an experience of what they might receive in the actual automotive plant.”

— Karl Owens, Instructor

“Students will have the opportunity to work directly with a real product, gaining practical experience that mirrors what happens every day inside our manufacturing facility. This kind of exposure builds confidence, skills and awareness.”

— Teriann Bailey, Workforce partnership lead at Honda

“When I took a mechanical drawing class — I remember the teacher's name, Mrs. Fuller — I never knew that would translate into me becoming an engineer down at the (Honda) Alabama Auto Plant.”

— Brian Burton

“Being taught under Mr. Owens, it's been great. I'm one of the first students to ever be in the Modern Manufacturing Program and Mr. Owens has been teaching it magnificently. He's taught us more than just manufacturing. He's given us life lessons and taught us hands-on skills.”

— LaDarius Dawson, Fairfield High senior

What’s next

The Modern Manufacturing Program at Fairfield High will continue to utilize the donated Honda Passport throughout the school year, allowing students to gain valuable hands-on experience in automotive manufacturing and maintenance.

The takeaway

The gifting of the Honda Passport to Fairfield High's Modern Manufacturing Program demonstrates Honda's commitment to supporting hands-on technical education and exposing students to potential careers in the automotive industry. This partnership helps prepare the next generation of skilled manufacturing workers in the Birmingham area.