Thousands of people converged on the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, August 23-25, for one of the largest events in the nursery and landscape industry.
Among the crowd attending the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association convention were approximately 40 high school juniors and seniors from Manatee County.
Those students attend Braden River High and Parrish Community High Schools.
They visited “The Landscape Show” to learn more about the opportunities available to them in the horticulture industry, according to Kelli Kennedy, Assistant Director of Career and Technical Education for the School District of Manatee County.
Horticulture is all about art, technology, business, education and the science of plants.
Career positions in this field include: artists, botanists, business owners, ecologists, farmers, groundskeepers, landscapers, molecular biologists, photographers, teachers, urban planners and hundreds more.
We sought out one of those school agricultural programs attending the event to find out what students are learning inside and outside their classroom.
HOME GROWN TEACHER
Caitlyn Greene was born and raised in Manatee County.
Teacher Caitlyn Greene (left) with a Horticulture 3 student at Parrish Community High School
In 2014, she showed her first steer at the county fair as a sophomore at Lakewood Ranch High School.
Caitlyn placed third in Senior Showmanship and helped the Mustangs’ FFA earn nearly $3,500 from the sale of a 1,150 pound steer named “Diesel”.
She would go on to become chapter president, and after college, land a career alongside her former agriculture teacher, Susan Granger.
Caitlyn now teaches AgriScience Foundations, Horticulture 2 and Horticulture 3 at Parrish Community High School.
Her classroom is covered in quotes, informational posters and award ribbons.
The school agriculture program might be the newest in the community, but is quickly becoming recognized for its excellence.
Caitlyn is particularly proud of a handmade poster hanging on the back wall.
It's a gift from her first class of horticulture students last year.
The collection of photos and memories shows students laying gravel in their new greenhouse, potting plants and pulling weeds; earning a blue ribbon for their Reserve Grand Champion plant; and visiting The Landscape Show for the first time.
GROWING EXCITEMENT FOR AGRICULTURE
Jade Stanton is a senior and president of Parrish Community High's FFA chapter.
Horticulture 3 students at Parrish Community High School, including Jade Stanton (pictured top right).
She has been a member of FFA since 2020, or middle school, after watching her older sister show dairy cows.
On the day we visited, Jade and her friends used markers to design safety posters which will soon be on display in the hallway.
Students are also excited about bringing back a popular fundraiser - Bulls’ Blooms, a student-led flower delivery business serving teachers and staff.
The class is abuzz discussing flower costs, vase supplies and possibly expanding their business by making boutonnieres for prom. Just maybe.
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CHAPTERS
FFA is a national organization with the vision of developing the next generation of leaders who will change the world.
Their motto, “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”
Parrish Community High recently received a National FFA 3-star chapter rating, the first time in school history.
Lakewood Ranch High FFA (3-star) and Palmetto High FFA (2-star) also earned the highest honor bestowed on an agriculture program from the National FFA.
Many of the standards proven to earn this ranking are growing young leaders for a stronger community.
A national conference is being held this November in Indianapolis to celebrate the work done by educators and students to strengthen agriculture.
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE SUCCESS
Back in Parrish, Jade is envisioning her future and how FFA is helping get her there.
A steer is feeding from its leopard-print hay bag, the chapter pig is training for the fair season, and the chickens are following the students’ feet in hopes of receiving a treat.
Taking care of livestock has helped Jade fall in love with animal science, which she hopes to study at Colorado State University in the near future.
It’s a pathway through agricultural classrooms and FFA that inspires her dream of becoming a veterinarian.
Those same programs once fueled a girl's ambition for a career in education.
Caitlyn (Corbran) Greene pictured in 2014 with steer, "Diesel"; Credit: Mustangs Ahead
The bell rings and students stream inside the classroom for Horticulture 2.
Every day they walk past a sign on Mrs. Greene's desk which reads: "Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that will grow forever."
Touché.
Thanks to all educators for inspiring our future leaders.