On March 2, a group of Oswego High School students placed second in the annual Floral Career Development Event at the College of DuPage. This competition put their floral skills to the test against nine other surrounding schools.
Competing schools included Naperville Central High School, Byron High School, the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, DeKalb High School, Glenbrook South High School, Lockport Township High School, Rolling Meadows High School, Rich Township High School, and Barrington High School.
Hosted by the College of DuPage Horticulture Department, the event allowed students who took the Floral Fundamentals/Floral Design class offered at the student’s respective high school to test their knowledge and skills of floral arrangement.
The event was divided into four parts: a written test, a floral identification test, a corsage creation portion, and were tasked with making a presentable round table arrangement. Participants took the written test and flower identification test on March 1 at their high school, and needed to submit them by 3 p.m. in order to proceed to the main event.
Competitors began preparing for the tests in early January, receiving study materials for both the written and floral identification tests from the DuPage Horticulture Department.
“We had meetings after school where we had step-by-step instructions on how to make these arrangements, and were given pictures and a certain amount of set flowers,” senior Gianna Guglielmi, team captain for OHS, said. “And for the tests we had a study guide made which we would study.”
The written test had questions regarding materials used to make the arrangements, how floral businesses are run, how to care for specific plants, and other similar topics. The floral identification test had students grouping and identifying plants that they would use in their arrangements and corsages.
During the main event, contestants were given a bucket of flowers and other materials to begin making the arrangements. They were given 35 minutes for corsage construction, and 30 minutes for the round table arrangements.
After students completed their arrangements, they brought them into a separate room where judges could look at the pieces and score the students on their performance. The test scores were then combined with the students’ individual scores, which are then all put together for the school’s score.
Three judges scored the participants out of 50 points, who graded based on the symmetry of the piece, craftsmanship, marketability, and other unique factors that went into its creation.
While the judges determined the scores and rankings, participants received the chance to view and roam around the greenhouses and horticulture department at the College of DuPage. Students interested could also look at information regarding studying horticulture at DuPage in the future.
After the scores were determined, the schools who scored the highest received a ribbon showing how they ranked compared to the other schools.
“I really enjoyed it, and it gives a real insight on what it would be like to really study horticulture in college,” senior Natalia Godinez, a photographer for the event, said.
This year’s Floral Career Development Event was the first one held since 2020 due to COVID-19, and after years of inactivity the event has lost some of its target audience. There is less competition to participate in the event now, and so many participants recommend students try out the Floral Fundamentals/Floral Design class if it is offered at their school.
“The only requirement to actually go to the competition is to take the Floral Design class,” Godinez said. “And then, definitely try to participate in the competition; it’s really fun.”
I am a junior at OHS. This is my first year on staff as a news reporter and editor. I am interested in the gym and video games.
Great article, Riley!