DCMO BOCES Conservation and Heavy Equipment Operation students from Alan D. Pole Campus pose in Cobleskill, where they participated in the annual New York State Conservation Contest. (Submitted photo)


COBLESKILL – Students from both DCMO BOCES campuses traveled to SUNY Cobleskill on May 15 to participate in the New York State Conservation Contest, an annual event designed to bring together high school students from BOCES Conservation and Heavy Equipment programs from across the state.

Events took SUNY Cobleskill campus, with students rotating between contest stations that focused on different skills such as equipment operation, woodsmen events, and natural resource identification. The students were accompanied by Harrold Campus Principal Roula Ragusa, SkillsUSA advisor Nanette LaTourette, and Conservation instructors from both campuses, including Zack Whittaker, Amanda Larson and Ken Larson from Harrold Campus and Braeden Williams, Jacob Sweet and Tim Crumb from Pole Campus. DCMO BOCES students did quite well in the competition, winning or placing in many of them. Here’s a list of those who placed, by campus:

Alan D. Pole Campus:

Fire Building: 1st Place - Kelcie Tefft (Oxford) & Pasley French (Sherburne).

Female Pulp Throw: 4th Place - Kelcie Tefft (Oxford).

Male Cross Cut: 1st Place - Wyatt Meade (UV) & Tanner Sullivan (UV).

Axe Throw: 2nd Place - Duncan McNicol (Norwich).

Tree Felling: 4th Place - Tanner Sullivan (UV).

Tree Climbing: 1st Place -Tanner Sullivan (UV) , 4th Place Dominick Howe (Oxford).

Skid Steer Competition: 5th Place - Brian Mills (Greene) & David Palmer (OV).

Dozer Log Roll: 1st Place - Riley Jones (Sherburne).

Robert W. Harrold Campus:

Dozer Log Roll: Xander Tyrell- Senior (Franklin), 3rd Place.

Mini Excavator: Connor Borowski- Senior (BG), 1st Place.

Skid Steer Team: Derek Jordan- Junior (Unatego), Tyler King- Junior (Unatego), 2nd Place.

Maple ID & Knowledge- Olivir Hilts- Junior (BG),1st Place; Hailey Brandenburg- Junior (Delhi), 2nd Place; Kevin Conklin- Senior (Hancock), 3rd Place; Landon Ruling- Senior (Sidney), 4th Place.

Tree Felling- Kevin Conklin- Senior (Hancock), 2nd Place.

Axe Throw- Kaedin VanEchaute- Junior (Otsego Christian Academy-OCA), 1st Place.

Two-Man Peavy Log Roll- Abraham George- Senior (Franklin) and Trevor Thayer- Senior (Unatego), 3rd Place.

Jack and Jill Two-Person Log Roll- Alivia Plows- Junior (GMU) & Bryce Seymour- Junior (Unatego)- 3rd Place; Hailey Brandenburg- Junior (Delhi) & Graham Picinich- Senior (Walton)- 4th Place

Bow Saw- Kevin Conklin- Senior (Hancock), 1st Place; Jacob Lyle- Senior (BG), 3rd Place

Jack & Jill 2-Person Crosscut- Hailey Brandenburg- Junior (Delhi) & Olivir Hilts- Junior (BG), 2nd Place; Alvia Plows- Junior (GMU) & Tyler King- Junior (Unatego), 4th Place

Female Pulp Throw- Hailey Brandenburg- Junior (Delhi), 2nd Place

DCMO BOCES is a regional provider of educational services to students and schools, and operates school campuses in Sidney Center and Norwich. To learn more about Conservation & Heavy Equipment and the other CTE programs at DCMO BOCES, visit the website at www.dcmoboces.com.

- Information from DCMO BOCES