Photo Provided Union Local seventh-graders visit an Ascent Resources well pad as part of their career tech studies.

CADIZ — Teachers Joe Meholovitch and Mary Ann Kemp took their seventh grade career tech classes to an active Ascent well pad drilling site near Cadiz.

Ascent representative Brent Riggle coordinated the student visit. The students toured most of the well pad operation, learning about the various jobs that keep the multimillion-dollar site running.

Some of the jobs included: drilling supervisor, field engineer, coil tubing operator, snubbing operator, mud logger, mud engineer, derrick hand, floorhand, leasehand and roustabout.

Students were able to climb the stairs up into the actual drill rig operating station, which resembled a cockpit on a 747 airliner. It included two pilot joysticks and numerous operational screens and meters.

“The dynamics to the entire drill process is like an endless science fair project!” the teachers noted in a release. “Overall, it was a great trip, as we provide educational field trips for tradesman careers (seventh grade) and academic college related trips (eighth grade).

“ULMS would like to thank Ascent Resources, Brent Riggle, and the Patterson-UTI rig drilling crew for making this field trip happen.”