Thirteen students from Pennsylvania College of Technology's School of Natural Resources Management recently attended the Professional Landscape Network's Student Career Days competition in Joliet, Ill.
Horticulture faculty members Dennis P. Skinner, assistant professor, and Carl J. Bower Jr., instructor, accompanied the group to the 35th annual event, sponsored by PLANET and held March 17-20 at Joliet Junior College. All of the Penn College students are landscape/horticulture technology majors, enrolled in either the plant production or landscape emphasis.
Those who fared particularly well were Jeremy L. Thorne, Sugarloaf, the top finisher among 38 participants in the Tractor Loader Backhoe Operator test event; Logan T. Richard, Alexandria, who ranked seventh out of 79 contestants in the Business Management category; and Kyle B. Brown, Loysburg, who was seventh among 48 students in the Compact Excavator Operation contest.
Brown who also competed in Irrigation Assembly, Landscape Maintenance Operations, Paver Installation, and Truck and Trailer Operation finished 13th out of 807 students overall in total points.
Thorne participated in Business Management and Irrigation Assembly, as well; Logan additionally took part in Business Management, Plant Problem Diagnosis, Turf and Weed Identification, and Woody Ornamental Plant Identification.
"The students really came through in their contests," Bower said. "Competing against so many four-year programs can be intimidating, but our students showed numerous times that they can hold their own. It was a wonderful experience, both in what they learned and in the friendships they gained."
Eight other Penn College students competed:
Sandra M. Angstadt, Kutztown, Landscape Plant Installation and Skid Steer Operation; Brittany L. Antolick, Jersey Shore, Annual and Perennial Identification; Kelsey R. Bromm, Fountainville, Annual and Perennial Identification; Daniel A. Endy, Pottstown, Maintenance Cost Estimating; Andrew J. Kaminski, Moscow, Computer Aided Landscape Design, Landscape Plant Installation and Maintenance Cost Estimating; Matthew D. Lowe, Lancaster, Woody Ornamental Plant Identification; Wyatt C. Phillips, Dallas, Construction Cost Estimating, Landscape Plant Installation, Paver Installation and Truck and Trailer Operation; and Dustin E. Zook, Lancaster, Sales Presentation.
Also attending were students Cory M. Ferreri, Oley, and Samuel W. Hanmer, Harrisburg.
More about Student Career Days, a three-day competition among students enrolled in horticulture programs at colleges and universities across the country, is available online .
For more about horticulture/landscape technology and other "degrees that work" offered in the School of Natural Resources Management, visit on the Web or call 570-320-8038.
For general information about Penn College, visit online , email or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
Photo provided by the School of Natural Resources Management