The East Knox FFA team from Ohio participated in the National FFA Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event, which took place alongside the 98th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, from October 29 to November 1, 2025. Team members Ariana Talbott, Mackenzie Wilson, Ava Page, and Madisyn Frost achieved an 18th-place finish among teams nationwide, earning a Silver rating. The top 13 teams received Gold ratings, followed by the next 17 with Silver and the final 13 with Bronze.
Individually, Ariana Talbott ranked 41st with a Gold rating; Ava Page was 54th with Silver; Madisyn Frost placed 107th with Silver; and Mackenzie Wilson earned a Bronze rating. The team was awarded a plaque for their placement, and each member received medals at an awards banquet held at the Indiana Convention Center during the National FFA Convention.
The team qualified for the national contest after winning first place in the State FFA Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event finals at Delaware Area Career Center on March 26. During this state event, competitors performed tasks such as programming irrigation control panels and operating mowers. Individually at the state level, Ariana Talbott secured first place, Ava Page second, and Madisyn Frost fifteenth out of 253 participants.
The National Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event tests students' skills in nursery and landscape management through activities like plant installation and mower operation. Participants also took a general information test and engaged in customer relation scenarios.
This marks the ninth time an East Knox FFA Nursery/Landscape team has represented Ohio nationally and is part of twelve total national competitions for East Knox Local Schools’ chapter.
The National FFA Organization is a youth organization comprising over one million student members across more than nine thousand local chapters in all U.S. states as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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