• Article Photo. Ben McGowan, Wes McKenna, and Andrew Pingenot show off their team’s Plant Installation Challenge.
    Ben McGowan, Wes McKenna, and Andrew Pingenot show off their team’s Plant Installation Challenge.
  • Article Photo. Will McKenna and Andrew Allsup receive feedback from a judge after the Hardscape Design Challenge.
    Will McKenna and Andrew Allsup receive feedback from a judge after the Hardscape Design Challenge.
  • Article Photo. Ben McGowan, Wes McKenna, and Andrew Pingenot complete their Plant Installation Design.
    Ben McGowan, Wes McKenna, and Andrew Pingenot complete their Plant Installation Design.

By: Co-Reporter, Juliana Luis


Ben McGowan, Wes McKenna, Andrew Pingenot, Ben Buhr, Will McKenna, and Andrew Allsup made their way to the Kirkwood Landscape Challenge on Wednesday, October 4th.

When they arrived, they were met with many teams ready for the competition. “There were a lot of other teams, but everyone was giving their all to prepare for their individual contest areas,â€� is how Andrew Pingenot described the competition.

By the end of the day, Vinton-Shellsburg FFA members let their skills shine. Andrew Pingenot placed 2nd in Individual Landscape Design and the team received 1st in Hardscape Design, 2nd in Plant Installation, and 3rd Place Team Overall. “It was cool being selected second for design, but it was definitely a little surprising,â€� Andrew Pingenot recounted about his placing.

These members were excited to learn a lot from this contest to bring back and share with their Landscape Design class.