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Print ArticleThis year’s PLANET Student Career Days (SCD) held March 27-30 in Acworth, GA, boasted the highest number of teams in the event’s history. Sixty-five college teams, including a total of 950 students, participated in 25 individual and team competitions including tree climbing, paver installation, wood construction, plant identification, sales presentation, exterior/interior design, irrigation troubleshooting, along with skid steer and equipment operation, to name a few.
The competition, held by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), included awards to individual winners as well as to teams. The individual winners, called "Superstars," were:
- First place: Matthew Early of North Metro Technical College in Acworth, GA
- Second place: Ken Kwait of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Third place: Ken Beasley of Hinds Community College in Jackson, MS
In an exciting turn, the host school, North Metro Technical College, unseated Brigham Young University to take first place in the overall competitive events. However, BYU still made a strong showing, with the Idaho campus placing second and the Provo campus placing third.
Aside from the bragging rights, students also received scholarships and award money. This year, PLANET gave away more than $70,000 in scholarships through its PLANET Academic Excellence Foundation. In addition, the on-site Career Fair offered students the opportunity to interview with green industry companies for full-time positions and internships. Many students received job offers on site.
Stihl Inc., the platinum sponsor of the event, entertained students between competitions with their world-champion Stihl Ironjacks who performed shows of logrolling, tree climbing, sawing and chopping events. Ariens, Gravely and Stens, Brickman, Caterpillar Inc., Husqvarna, John Deere, Outside Unlimited Inc., Pavestone Co., The Toro Co. and Vermeer Corp. were also major sponsors of the event.
For a complete list of winners, please visit the Web at StudentCareerDays.org . Also, visit LandcareNetwork.org for more information.