Last week’s rains couldn’t dull the shine in the quad as Del Oro High School’s third annual Sol 2 Sol car show took over the campus on Saturday, featuring cars from exotics and performance builds to classics, lowriders, and modern vehicles.
Chris Dutton, Del Oro’s Vice Principal of Instruction, emphasized that every dollar raised from the event goes directly back to students through the Academic Excellence Awards.
“We’ve had to revamp the Academic Excellence Awards, so every dollar goes to purchasing T-shirts, hats, and jackets,” he said. “We had to restructure because last year the students did so good, they broke us. We had to come up with $20,000 for jackets alone.”
To keep the program sustainable, the revamped system allows students to earn rewards progressively, making it fun and motivating for students, causing them to build up more of their academic road and finally earn their letterman’s jacket — turning their academic achievements into recognition for their hard work.
This year’s event partnered with the Sol 2 Sol booster club, California Student Aid Commission and Reach 4 Greatness. Americorps and Stay Focused helped raise over $1,200 from communities and local family members.
Near the Administrative building, multiple booths provided resources and awareness for attendees. One of the booths featured the Carlos Marquez Forever 34 foundation, a non-profit program dedicated to educating, connecting and preventing drug overdoses and bringing fentanyl awareness.
The foundation’s booth demonstrated that the event wasn’t just about cars. By engaging with families, sharing educational materials, and raising awareness about overdose prevention, the booth highlighted the community’s commitment to health and safety.
“People are unknowingly putting these substances into their bodies because they’re often hidden in vape pens, marijuana, or other products,” said Chris LaMedica, parent of Carlos Marquez. “They’re smellless and tasteless, so it’s easy to not realize. We are here to basically tell everyone not to take that chance with your life.”
The show concluded with a Top 30 award list along with a Principal’s Choice list. Wesley Smith was one of the four honored with a Principal’s Choice Plaque.
“I feel grateful, I’m happy that she picked me.” Smith said. “It’s good, I feel really good about it, and I’m here to support you guys.”
The event brought back some familiar faces, such as Jorge Carlartas with Aztec Image and his red 1971 Chevrolet Impala, Junior Gonzalez with his baby blue 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, and Juan Mercado’s Blue 1995 Nissan 240SX.
