(Acworth, Ga. – March 23, 2017) Press Release
Chattahoochee Technical College’s Horticulture students got their hands dirty while competing for top accolades at the 41st Annual National Collegiate Landscaping Competition — a three-day event featuring a skills competition and networking event.
Organized by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (formerly known as the Professional Landcare Network), the event was held March 15-18 at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. More than 800 students from approximately 60 colleges and universities competed in 29 events directly related to the skills necessary for a career in the Green Industry, including hardscape installation, wood construction, sales presentation, skid steer operation and plant identification.
Led by instructor John Hatfield, Chattahoochee Technical College’s team scored a combined 2,273 points at the competition to secure a 24th-place finish.
Along with the school’s overall achievement, CTC student and Woodstock resident Denna Pace was announced as a top competitor, placing first in the Interior Plant Identification and Turf and Weed Identification events and third in the Plant Problem Diagnosis event. Marietta resident Luke Brummeler also earned a second-place finish in the Tractor Loader Backhoe Operator event.
Facing a combined 147 opponents in the Interior Plant Identification and Turf and Weed Identification categories, Pace said the victory came as a bit of a shock. Even after her name was announced as a first-place finisher, she said it took a moment to sink in.
“I came out of the event knowing I had done well, but sure I had knocked myself out of the running for first over a mistake I thought I had made on the test,” she said. “The other event I placed first in, Turf and Weed Identification, was extremely challenging. I had trouble gauging how well I did.”
Of the events she placed in, Pace said she was most proud of her third-place finish in the Plant Problem Diagnosis event.
“I only decided to take that event on a few weeks before the competition, and there was a huge amount of material to cover in a short period of time,” she said. “It forced me to learn a lot about the subject, so even though it was quite a bit to take on, I’m very glad I did it.”
To prepare for the event, Pace said she created PowerPoints based on last year’s student material.
“I had competed in Turf and Weed Identification last year, and I knew if I wanted to do well this year I needed to get started early, especially if I wanted to do more than one event,” she said. “The competitions change from one year to the next, so I had to adjust what I was studying when they released this year’s identification lists, but starting early still gave me a pretty good boost. I spent about two hours every day going over my PowerPoints, and dedicated quite a few of my days off entirely to studying.”
Drawn to the science and problem solving aspect of Horticulture, Pace said she is particularly interested in learning how to prevent, diagnose and fix landscape issues. Her advice to anyone interested in pursuing a career in the Green Industry: Have a passion for it.
“Just about anybody can find a niche in the program, I think, as long as there’s a personal interest in the material,” she said. “A lot of people are drawn to the physical, outdoor work aspect of it, and there’s plenty of that for those who want it, but it’s not necessarily a requirement. Some are there because they love the artistic side of landscape design. Some are entrepreneurs there to learn how to start and run their own landscape or greenhouse businesses.”
Enrolling in Chattahoochee Tech’s Horticulture program, which is exclusively located on the North Metro Campus in Acworth, happened by chance for Pace. After searching for a program that was conveniently located to her Cherokee County home, Chattahoochee Tech was the only college that fit the bill.
“I’m glad it was; I’ve kind of fallen in love with the program,” she said. “I think the Horticulture Associate of Applied Science program is outstanding, and
The Horticulture program at Chattahoochee Tech offers a combination of theory and hands-on skill development. Students have access to more than 3.5 acres of landscape grounds for lab space, more than 50 pieces of motorized commercial landscape construction and maintenance equipment and more than 2,000 square feet of heated greenhouse space.
The program, which is designed to take 55 weeks to complete, provides learning opportunities which introduce, develop and reinforce academic and technical knowledge, skills and attitudes required for job acquisition, retention and advancement. Additionally, the program provides opportunities to retrain or upgrade present knowledge and skills.
For more information about the Horticulture program, visit ChattahoocheeTech.edu.