Lavoie’s Legacy

Meagan Gaetano, Mercury Writer

As a Building Trades lab supervisor in the Northwest Technical Center (NWTC), Ross Lavoie “has the ability and the knowledge to be a hands on teacher.”

Lavoie has been working at BFA since the start of the 2016 school year.

As a student Lavoie attended school at MVU for three years, including grades seven, eight and nine.

Lavoie then transferred to BFA for his last three years in highschool stating, “The biggest reason to why I transferred to BFA was so that I could get into the Tech Center programs.”

The NWTC at BFA offers hands on learning to students interested in long term professions, which is also another reason Lavoie enjoyed the program here while he was in high school, “I’m very much a hands on learner, I need to be able to touch things and work with them to be able to learn the best,” Lavoie said.

Lavoie has always had a passion for construction.

After all, the trade has been in his family for three generations now.

“I’m a third generation builder, my father, grandfather and all my uncles are in construction. I’ve known ever since there were pictures of me at two years old with a tool belt and hard hat on that construction was for me,” Lavoie said.

Working in the Building Trades program gives Lavoie an abundance of time to connect and get to know the students he teaches and works with.

“I feel like only having graduated high school 10 years ago, I’ve got enough experience to help students head in the right directions, but also I’m young enough to connect with them and understand what they need and where they want to go,” Lavoie said.

The two individuals who influenced Lavoie the most throughout his life were his mother and his father.

“My mother and father have always told me that with hard work and enthusiasm you can really go far in life,” Lavoie said.

Lavoie’s other interests and hobbies aside from construction are sugaring, working at Hard’ack, hunting and fishing.

Lavoie, his father and his brother run a small sugaring operation together.

Lavoie also works at Hard’ack in St. Albans doing snowmaking and maintenance. He has been working there for about 10 years.

Lavoie spoke about other careers and job opportunities that he may be interested in pursuing in the future. Lavoie expressed that he “really enjoys the outdoors and that maybe as I gets older I would consider being an outdoor guide.”

Lavoie also talked about his love for fishing and hunting; he fishes all spring and summer then goes on small hunting expeditions in the winter.

All around Lavoie, who is still young in his BFA career has exponentially high hopes for working at BFA.

Lavoie’s biggest hope is to help students achieve what they desire in life.