Like Plants? This New Elective is For You!

By: Tayler Frings

Unlike other Agricultural Departments in Visalia Unified School District, Redwood High School is the only program that has one teacher in charge. After the opening of El Diamante High School in 2002, our second Agriculture teacher left Redwood to teach there. Ever since then, Mr. Coon has been running the program by himself, but next year that will possibly change.

The Agricultural program is hoping to open a pathway for ornamental horticulture, floral culture, and greenhouse plants. Back in the day, Advanced Ag. had a profitable floral shop just as today we have a fabrication shop. The whole curriculum would be focused on growing plants, propagating plants in the greenhouse, as well as regenerative agriculture with a focus on doing good for the environment through plant growth.

How the classes would be set up would be first year students would take Introduction to Horticulture, which teaches the soil and plant cycles. The second year students will be taking those concepts to new levels in a more advanced class. The juniors and seniors will be able to take Greenhouse Production and Floral Culture. Greenhouse Production would be set up almost like a enterprise where students could grow plants in the greenhouse throughout the year as well as possibly sell them at plant sales and things similar.

While Floral Culture would be learning the art of floral design with making bouquets and boutonnieres, flower arrangements and all what flower shops produce. The class will take a agricultural product and sell it in more of a decorative type sense, which will be the the whole idea of the entire program.