TORRINGTON – It was a busy summer for All-Star trainers, but for two trainers from Torrington it was double duty. Not only did Szilvia Csenski and Rosa Fernandez train new drivers this summer, they also worked to become State Certified Trainers.

To become  certified, the two veteran drivers first attended and passed a pre-qualify day in June. They were among 20 trainers from throughout Connecticut to participate. During pre-qualifying, they had to perform a pre-trip as if they were teaching new students while a DMV inspector and master certified trainer looked on. Upon completion of that task, they had to board a bus where a master trainer took a set and pretended to be a new trainee. They had to lead the “trainee” through a passenger pick-up, a railroad crossing and road course. During the road course, Csenski and Fernandez had to explain rules of road, and how to safely and defensively drive a school bus. At the end of the day, 11 of the 20 trainers made it through to the next step, which was 40 hours of classroom instruction at DMV offices in Wethersfield.

The first day of the week-long classroom program generated lots of nerves as the trainers were required to deliver a five-minute presentation. The rest of the week then consisted of learning the skills needed to serve as a state certified trainer. And the word didn’t stop when classes ended for the day because each student had to go home and prepare a 20-minute presentation for their final assignment. In the end, the Torrington duo passed and were awarded their state instructor ID cards.