Alpena Community College’s utility tech students are at it again, bringing home first place from the College Powerline Rodeo held earlier this month in Nebraska.

ACC has an impressive history in this competition, winning first place in 2010 and 2015 as well. The success of the students speaks well about the training they are receiving in practical day-to-day lessons – both in the classroom and outside on utility poles.

“They enjoy what they do so much and work well together,” said Roy Smith, ACC utility instructor and department chairman of industrial technology. “We start climbing the third day in class, the day after they get their tools and begin working together as a team from that time. They just continue to grow from there by the end of the first year,” he said in a news story this week.

Smith, who in 2014 was selected Klein Tools’ national instructor of the year, seems to know the key ingredients in molding students to achieve their very best. The hiring rate of students graduating from the program is exceptional.

The rodeo is made up of four events related to the utility industry. ACC took first place in two of the four events in Nebraska.

This year’s world champions at ACC were Travis Bridson, Brennen Allen, Justin Clark, Chris Myers, Jacob Reed, Francis Bedell, Thomas Koon and Dillen Decker.

Congratulations to everyone for this exceptional accomplishment.