[2.70Racer]

It was my fortune to attend Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, Oregon over 50 years ago. At this school 13 year old boys were taught a variety of trades ranging from electricians, machinists, sheet metal, welding, automotive, print shop, pattern making, carpentry, foundry, yes this school had a small foundry, electronics, the school broadcast radio station was ran by the students, an aviation shop, a small engine shop, automotive paint and body shop, the school print shop put out a weekly newspaper, plus college prep courses for architecture, engineering, and mathematics.
17 and 18 year old graduates of this school were in immediate demand by local business and industry. Many graduates went on to universities into the hard sciences and have since become the leaders and inventors of our nation.
A school like Benson Polytechnic is way too expensive for most communities today. The role this school played in my life can't be overstated. To get a similar education today, high school graduates are faced with an expensive technical or trade school if it even exists where they live.
Easily half of the students in high school today (boys and girls), would benefit greatly with an education such as I recieved at Benson. The benefit to America is priceless.