Heavy Metal Rocks gave 100 Mile House students interested in operating heavy machinery and forestry equipment two days to try it last week.
From May 1 to 2 Heavy Metal Rocks was held at Scott Pit, located to the west of 100 Mile House, where 12 students from Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School (PSO) got to try out pieces of heavy equiptment such as a grater, a telehandler, excavator, mini-excavator, rock trucks, wheel loaders, skidders, bulldozer, backhoe and dump truck while under the supervision of professionals who would help guide them on how to use the equipment safely. Kelvin Parent, the coordinator of Heavy Metal Rocks for both 100 Mile House and Williams Lake, said the program was originally started by the mining industry.
"The head mining inspector, Chief Inspector Steve Rothman, he decided we needed something like this to get young people connected with the possibility of operating machinery," Parent said.
To get into Heavy Metal Rocks, students had to go through an interview process and write a resume.
"We treat it like they're applying for a job, and they go through the interview process," Parent noted.
After the interview process, the school picks around 12 students to attend. During Heavy Metal Rocks, the students operate each machine for around 50 minutes, and then switch and operate another machine.
"The trainer shows them all the pieces to it, and it gives them some guidance," Parent added.
One of the 12 students accepted into the program this year was Kelly Meier, a Grade 11 student attending PSO. Her family had previous experience with the program, her sister loving the chance to take part.
"I thought it would just be a cool experience to learn new things and maybe potential careers in the future," Meier stated. She also noted that she had yet to decide whether or not she would be attending any sort of post-secondary institution.
Meier said that she loved working with the excavator and the skidder the most, stating that she found the excavator was the easiest for her to understand and to operate. The skidder, meanwhile, gave her more freedom on what to do. She also noted that she learned first aid and safety, as well as hazards and communication skills.
"It's a really fun experience and I do recommend it to people," Meier noted.
However, heavy machinery was not the only thing that Heavy Metal Rocks offered students; this year, there was also a forestry segment. Ben Vinje is the community engagement coordinator with West Fraser, a local mill and forest license holder, and took students out to a forested area not far from Scott Pit.
"I'm out taking them into the forest and give them a little bit of a lesson on forestry. I'm teaching them how to identify trees, how to measure trees, and understand the history of the site where it's grown," Vinje said.
He said it would help students interested in the forestry side of West Fraser, as well as woodlands in general.
"It's the kind of basics of what we do, going out and understanding what a forest is made up of, how to measure what's out there and understand what's happening," said Vinje. He said that overall, Heavy Metal Rocks had been one of his favourite events of the year, something he usually puts on the calendar every year to do again.
One of the students who joined Vinje to go into the forest to learn was Tel Lytton, a Grade 11 PSO student. He was shown how to operate a corn tool by Vinje.
"You take your corn tool, and you start your hole, and you drill all the way to the centre, trying to go all the way through the hole, all the way through trimming. And then you take another tool. I forget what it's called, but it takes the core out of the drilling tool, and you can count your rings on the core of the tree," Lytton explained. He added that he had a slight interest in working in forestry. In addition, Lytton liked working with big machines, especially the excavator and dozer.
Parent said that it's a lot of work getting the event ready for him and his team.
"But once it starts running, the smiles on these kids' faces, the way the trainers talk, it's just super positive between young people and older people working together, and it helps them understand each other," Parent remarked. "It's a great program."
