COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (October 24, 2024) — Three students from Columbia City High School's Civil Construction Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway won the 2024 Golden Shovel competition. The Golden Shovel is an annual heavy equipment operation competition that challenges high schools to showcase their skills in operating skid steer loaders.
Seniors, Eli Ralston, Jon Reiff, and Garret Shepherd represented Columbia City High School. The three students piloted the Civil Engineering pathway last year and spent weeks on a rotation with various companies throughout Northeast Indiana to continue their learning and apply their classroom knowledge to real jobs.
“It was a great experience and we would do it again. This is what we'll do for our careers and it is cool to have the Golden Shovel,” Ralston, Reiff and Shepherd echoed.
The competition, organized by the Indiana Constructors Inc., aims to promote careers in the construction industry and provide hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring heavy equipment operators. Columbia City High School's participation in the event marks an important milestone for the school's efforts to expand its career and technical education programs.
"We are proud to have our students represent Columbia City High School at the Golden Shovel competition. This experience not only allows them to demonstrate their skills, but also exposes them to the dynamic and rewarding career paths available in the construction industry. We couldn’t have been successful without our community partnerships who offered these students such great opportunities to pursue their career focus,” said Jennifer Reiff, WCCS Director of Innovation and CTE (Career Technical Education).
During the competition, teams of three students from various high schools had to build a 25’ x 25’ graded building pad to project specifications with precision and efficiency, within specific time constraints. The tasks included operating loaders to transport materials, staking the pad, reading laser transits, grading, and demonstrating their knowledge of equipment safety and maintenance.
Each team was matched with heavy highway contractors to complete the competition. The CCHS team was matched with Milestone Contractors and coached by Chad Baker, Nick Morken, and Ben Rodkey. The team practiced before the contest with Milestone and Mr. Krill to prepare.
“It was a privilege working with these guys. They're hardworking and made it easy as coaches. They are hardworking, respectable, and listen to what they were told. Even if they had more experience on a machine, they respected our time. It was an honor,” said Nick Morken, Fort Wayne Milestone surveying assistant and layout technician.
The Golden Shovel Competition truly was a team event.
"The Golden Shovel competition is an excellent platform for students to gain practical experience and showcase their talents. Our students have been working hard to prepare for this event, and we were confident they would represent our school and community with pride,” said Dan Krill, Construction Trades/Civil Construction CTE Instructor.
The participation of Columbia City High School in the Golden Shovel competition aligns with the school's commitment to providing students with diverse career and technical education opportunities. By exposing students to the dynamic field of heavy equipment operation, the school aims to inspire them to pursue rewarding careers in the construction industry. We are proud of the team's success!
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L to R: Dan Krill, Ben Rodney, Chad Baker, Eli Ralston, Jon Reiff, Garrett Shepherd and Nick Morken.
Media Contact: Dr. Laura McDermott, mcdermottla@wccsonline.com
Kennedy Saggars, WCCS Marketing Director, saggarskt@wccsonline.com