One by one, high school ag students climbed on a tractor, got behind the wheel of an almond sweeper and manipulated the controls of an extractor in a competition at the annual Occupational Olympics and Career Expo.

It was just one of many field competitions which put over 1,000 high school students from across Stanislaus County to the test in various career fields. The event was held Thursday at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds.

Hughson High School student Ethan Larson was the first to run a Kubota tractor, on loan from Garton Tractor, forward through an obstacle course and reverse it in 54 seconds – far from the allotted time of five minutes.

Students were quizzed on their knowledge of the tractor by identifying parts which were tagged.

Some of the judges in the ag competition were former students who competed at events previously. This was the 39th year for the Occupational Olympics.

“This is very, very important to the kids,” said Mike Ellington, a Hughson High School ag instructor. “It’s important because they’re getting life skills for their careers but also they’re very proud to be a part of Hughson High School and there’s an overall sweepstakes award, one for large schools and one for small schools. We’re a small school.”

Ellington said most of his students have had experienced operating a tractor since most of them are in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and travel the state in competitive judging teams. They recently competed in Le Grand and at Modesto Junior College. On April 29 they will be at Reedley College and finish up with state finals at Fresno State.

Approximately 60 percent of his students go onto taking on agriculture-related jobs after graduating, including parts, sales and service and some production ag.

While that was taking place, 10 law enforcement students from Ceres were inside a building to test their ability to interview a mock crime victim and a mock suspect.

Originally law enforcement classes were only offered at Ceres High School but there was interest at Central Valley High to have classes there as well. CHS teacher Ana Aguirre Naranjo split her time between campuses until demand grew so big at CVHS that Nayeli Vacasotelo was hired.

“We just did balloting at Central Valley and there’s always a surplus of students that want to take the Public Safety Pathway but there’s only one instructor at each school so we can only take so many students,” said Vacasotelo. “There is a big interest.”

Students often initially go into competitions feeling nervous, said Naranjo, but she tells them it’s “a great experience to have, something to add to their resume.

“I don’t pressure my students. I want them to just come in here, have fun and enjoy the process and see what they can learn from the process and themselves.”

Naranjo has found that many of her students are interested in exploring the idea of becoming a police officer but doesn’t see many going into law enforcement.

“I tell them, keep an open mind even if you have zero interest in the career path. You never know where life’s going to take you.”

A total of 16 competitive events were held and judged by teachers and local business and industry persons. 

The event was sponsored by the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE), Stanislaus Partners in Education (SPIE), the Stanislaus County Fair, Modesto Junior College, local business and industry, and school districts. It is designed to promote academic and occupational understanding in various career areas and recognize high school students who excel in their mastery of skills.

Students were rated on knowledge of their field of interest, ability to perform tasks using appropriate tools, and employability skills. Plaques were awarded to the top three participants in each event, and the top eight finalists receive ribbons. 

Hughson High School took the Small School award.

Overall, Turlock High was the large-school champion, while Modesto’s Enochs High took home the Career Pathway Exhibit award.

Local winners are listed below:

• Ag engineering/construction trades: 1st—Milo McFarlane (Turlock), 2nd—Caleb Voight (Turlock), Aiden Bishop (Turlock). 

• Ag equipment technology: 1st—Haiden Lopes (Turlock), 2nd—Gavin Brandao (Turlock), 3rd—Gary Coldicutt (Hughson). 

• Animal husbandry: 1st—Claire Golden (Oakdale), 2nd—Hayley Kuppons (Oakdale), 3rd—Holly Conde (Oakdale). 

• Basic life support: 1st—Summer Galvan and Summer Diaz (Turlock), 2nd—Ashley Valle and Valeria Ramirez (Turlock), 3rd—Ana Razo Salazar and Jose Garcia Perez (Davis). 

• Child development (children’s lit): 1st—Ranial Smith (Waterford), 2nd—Consuelo Cisneros and Isaac Sanchez (Modesto), 3rd—Angel Fuentes (Modesto). 

• Child development (communication): 1st—Noemi Aba Carbajal (Modesto), 2nd—Alvaro Hernandez (Modesto), 3rd—Steven Suarez (Modesto). 

• Child development (inquiry): 1st—Katherine Gomez, Melenau Nui, Noemi Perez (Modesto), 2nd—Chanty Tep (Modesto). 

• Criminal Justice: 1st—Adrian Fuentes (Ceres), 2nd—Jadasa Haro (Ceres), 3rd—Yurriana Garcia (Central Valley). 

• Firefighter candidate: 1st—Aaron Silva (Escalon), 2nd—Max Velasco (Escalon), 3rd—Mason Juergenson (Davis). 

• Floriculture: 1st—Mariangela Gonez (Patterson), 2nd—Annalisa Ramirez (Patterson), 3rd—Beeja Lopez (Patterson). 

• Job-seeking skills: 1st—Madyson Daniels (Central Valley), 2nd—Diego Mendoza (Central Valley), 3rd—Isaac Armante (Central Valley).

• Medical occupations: 1st—Landon Tilby (Turlock), 2nd—Faith Hinton-Smith (Davis), 3rd—Caleb Staley (Turlock). 

• Pitsco drag racing (lightweight): 1st—Kevin Mendoza Rodriguez (Turlock), 2nd—Troy Cox (Oakdale), 3rd—Jacob Nickolauson (Oakdale).

• Pitsco drag racing (heavyweight): 1st—Eliseo Martinez (Turlock), 2nd—Dayton Bolk (Turlock), 3rd—Blake Bonander (Turlock). 

• Pitsco drag racing design: 1st—Eliseo Martinez (Turlock), Shyanne McKee (Oakdale), 3rd—Declan Edwards (Oakdale). 

• Robotics tech: 1st—Angela Franco Esparza, Ethan My, Emiliano Jimenez (Central Valley), 2nd—Emily Zepeda, Jesus Jimenez, (Stanislaus Military Academy), 3rd—Evan Martins, Anthony Tovar (Orestimba). 

• Salad preparation and display: 1st—Payton Williams (Pitman), 2nd—Luis Figueroa (Pitman), 3rd—Zaira Villegas (Riverbank). 

• Small-engine tech: 1st—Noah Daigre (Beyer), 2nd—DJ Davison (Beyer), 3rd—Jack Faulkner (Hughson). 

• Video-game expo: 1st—Wanyi Xie and Landon Ruckman (Enochs), 2nd—Tyler Raff, Aiden Vargas, Jaxton Morton (Oakdale), 3rd—Ethan Keller, Noah Miller, Nathaniel Mercado (Orestimba). 

• Welding: 1st—Alex Yanez (Pitman), 2nd—Logan Ledford (Patterson), 3rd—Nolan Harris (Oakdale).

Students had the chance to delve into various career areas, connecting with 49 vendors representing business and industry. This networking opportunity aims to bridge the gap between school and the professional world, allowing students to explore potential career paths and educational avenues.

Outside the fairgrounds buildings were a number of agencies and companies trying to interest students for career choices. They included Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Department, Modesto Police, Stanislaus County Probation Department and Turlock Irrigation District.