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“Getting students involved” and “learn by doing” are
primary philosophies of the Atwater High School
Agriculture Department and for students in the
Environmental Horticulture class, you can also add
“getting dirty”. For the past couple of months, AHS
horticulture students have taken a “hands on”
approach to learning with numerous on-campus
horticulture projects that have helped beautify the
campus.
Hundreds of dollars worth of flowering annuals and
perennials have been donated by the Atwater FFA to
the Atwater High campus towards the beautification
of various campus landscape projects. “This is a way
to get students involved and the results of their
efforts are seen every day,” said agriculture
instructor Dave Gossman. “We find that because the
horticulture projects are done directly by students,
they tend to take ownership and personal pride
towards the beauty they created.”
The
horticulture industry is a multi-billion dollar
industry in California. “Our goal is to expose
students to the numerous opportunities agriculture
has to offer in terms of careers and the industry,”
says Gossman. “Getting students enthused and
involved creates opportunity for learning.”
The
horticulture program at Atwater High School recently
earned the California Association of Nurseries and
Garden Centers (CANGC) the state’s first high school
horticulture certification. Continued growth and
development of the agriculture program’s facilities
are in the works including a long term growing area
for trees and shrubs. “I’m looking forward to
getting involved in some plant projects,” said AHS
student Gabby Valdivia. “The class has been fun and
expanded my knowledge about horticulture and the
industry.”
Written By: Mekayla Coughran, Atwater FFA
October 2009 |
