Revved up about Zippy, Ainsworth’s awesome automobile

(Wylie East High School) Looking around at all the cars in the WEHS parking lot, students will often stop and do a double-take when they see math teacher Shannon Ainsworth’s low-speed battery operated vehicle which she calls, “Zippy.”

The golf cart has flames on the side and also a skull with the East symbol on it and is adorned with many different Raider decorations.

She named the golf cart Zippy, because ironically it only goes up to about 25 miles per hour.

Ainsworth did not have any stipulations on driving her low-speed vehicle to school.

 “I did ask Mr. Williams’s if/where I could park it and he suggested the front parking lot would be best.” 

The vehicle is a lot like a car; it just doesn’t go as fast as a normal car.

“There are specific regulations I have to follow to be able to drive it on the roads.  For example, I cannot drive on roads that have a posted speed of over 35,” Ainsworth said.

She does not drive her kids to school in this particular vehicle because she said, “it’s battery powered, and [she does not] want to get stuck somewhere.”

Driving the golf cart definitely helps her with high gas prices.

“I don’t drive it all the time, just every now and then.  Although it does save on gas,” Ainsworth said.

She didn’t modify Zippy or change it when she got it; she actually bought it as is. 

Lynsey Butler, WEHS Blue Print web master.

“I didn’t do any of the modifications to it.  It was already ‘pimped’ when we got it.  We thought it was pretty cool just like it [was],” Ainsworth said.

Written by student journalist Lynsey Butler, web master at Wylie East High School’s online newspaper, Blue Print. Published Oct. 26, 2011. Casi Thedford serves as WEHS journalism/yearbook director.

To submit your news, events or student-written contributions, email editor@BlueRibbonNews.com.