Windham career center students sweep Vermont soil contest

Students said the hands-on nature of the program gave them an edge.

A group of Windham Regional Career Center students earned top honors at the Vermont FFA Organization’s Soil and Land Judging Competition, finishing first as a team and also claiming the individual title.

The event was held Oct. 1 at Vermont State University in Randolph and brought together eight teams from technical schools around Vermont. WRCC’s winning lineup included first-year students Warren Stickney, Brayden Sleeper, Marion McGowan and Trevor Bacon, all enrolled in the Forestry & Natural Resources program. Stickney placed first overall among individual competitors.

Instructor Errold Nelson said the result fit a pattern the program has built over several years, with WRCC regularly placing near the top. He noted that the latest victory was especially meaningful because this year’s team was made up of students who had not previously gone through the competition before.

The contest required students to evaluate four land parcels and the soils within them, then decide what uses would be appropriate. Participants also faced an exam that grew more complex as it went on, testing how well they could connect different pieces of soil and land-use knowledge.

Students said the hands-on nature of the program gave them an edge. Stickney said practice in the field helped more than classroom study alone, while Sleeper said working through the material together helped the group build chemistry and reinforced what Nelson taught step by step.

For Stickney, the class also connects directly to his background. He said his family’s work in logging and farming makes the program especially relevant to his interests and gives him a deeper understanding of both fields.

Nelson said the larger purpose of the career center goes beyond trophies and rankings. He said the main goal is helping students leave with habits and skills that will serve them in the workforce, especially a strong work ethic that can last long after graduation.