GAINING EXPERIENCE — A dozen seniors in the heavy equipment operation program at Jefferson County Joint Vocational School are putting their skills to use by leveling the field and beautifying the campus. (Contributed photo)

BLOOMINGDALE — About a dozen seniors in the heavy equipment operation program at Jefferson County Joint Vocational School put their skills to work by leveling the field on campus.

Instructor Anthony Materna said his students spent roughly three weeks reclaiming an estimated 580-foot section of land and learning a lot about being laborers along the way.

“We cleared and grubbed (shallowly dug) the back hill and removed stumps and trees, resurfaced and final graded, strawed and seeded to reclaim it,” Materna said. “We have worked for three weeks and it’s in the final stages.”

He added that the land will be smoothed and some final grading will be completed. In the meantime, students have been using the program’s equipment, including a bulldozer, excavator, dump truck and skid steer, to complete the project and gained knowledge of what it is like to work in the industry. They also did other labor from raking and shoveling to replacing an electrical line on the property.

“This is the biggest project we’ve ever done,” Materna continued.

The program includes 14 juniors who have earned experience by digging ditches, grading and sloping as well as material management, or where to stage dirt while they continue a project. Students are also concentrating on restoring a pickup truck to use in class.

The goal of the program is to prepare students for a future in heavy equipment operation, construction and related trades.