Ten students from the Retail Florist program of Conestoga College have just returned from the 50th anniversary Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa, having gained practical experience in a number of competitions for floristry students and carrying a basketful of awards.
The festival is still in full swing until May 19, and will attract several hundred thousand visitors. During the opening week, both students and floristry professionals tested their skills and creativity in tulip arranging theme events at Palais des Congres in Gatineau, Hull region.
The Conestoga team fared so well that Program Co-ordinator Dorina Idvorian received a special award from Festival Director Joel Marc Frappier, in recognition of the College's outstanding performance.
Representing Conestoga were students Constance Bender, Lindsay Clymans, Vildana Glisic and Susan Hill of Kitchener; Jill Dunbrook and Marisa Ortiz-Pedroza of Waterloo; Monika Casson of Cambridge; Sanja Jefic of Guelph; Ruth Nairn of New Dundee and Damaris Martin of Elmira.
The foursome of Casson, Glisic, Martin and Ortiz-Pedroza took first place in the arch competition designed to display the theme Flying Above the Stars. Hill won first place in the miniature topiary event. Ortiz-Pedroza won the Tailored Tulips surprise box competition, while top honours in the Tulip Appetite surprise box event went to Glisic, with Clymans taking second place and Martin third.
Honourable mentions went to Clymans in the wired tulips event and the Waiting for the Bus theme vignette competition.
Retail Florist is a part-time, certificate-level program consisting of six core courses dealing mainly with design, management and sales in the floral industry, plus one elective course and two field-placement components in the retail industry.
CONTACT: Gillian Oldfield, 519-748-5220, ext. 3634, goldfield@conestogac.on.ca