Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 6, Issue 12, December 2002

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Horticulture students learn
about plants, environment

By NIKKI SCHORMANN

The horticulture program at Nathan Hale High School has always had funding problems, but this year, funds are especially scarce.

Seattle Public Schools is suffering from a major district-wide budgeting error, and though it is yet to be decided where funds will be restricted, Hale's horticulture teacher Brad Wade explains that elective classes, like horticulture, are often left behind.

Horticulture is part of career and technical education, which usually includes classes like auto and wood shop. These programs are partially funded by the school, and partially funded by the school to work program, says Wade, and are frequently given less funding than other classes.

This program, however, manages to overcome the funding barrier. "We're doing this by smart horticulture," says Wade.

Wade and his students hold two public plant sales each year. This allows for the program to earn back some of the money they spend on supplies. This first plant sale provides mostly poinsettias, and begins when the flowers are ready usually beginning around Thanksgiving. This year the winter plant sale will last until Dec. 20, the last day before winter break.

The spring plant sale, which is the larger of the two, offers a variety of plants, especially landscaping plants, such as ornamental grasses, and exotic plants. The spring sale usually brings in more income for the program. Wade is a strong believer in having student involvement with retail. Meaning that the horticulture students are involved with every aspect of the life of these plants, from keeping the greenhouse clean, to watering to selling. "The students know more about these plants than anyone does," says Wade.

The program's classroom and greenhouse are located one block east of Nathan Hale High School at Meadowbrook Pond (10701 36th Ave. NE, next to Thornton Creek), which provides a natural setting for learning about plants.

Nathan Hale's horticulture program began around 20 years ago, but its greenhouse, which holds most of their plants, was built 10 years ago. Wade has been working with horticulture students at Hale for the past four years.

His teaching background is actually in history, but as he explains enthusiastically, "I've been around plants all my life." He took a special interest in landscape design, pruning and gardening, and is now able to teach just that.

Wade is passionate about horticulture being a necessary program at Hale. "It helps us be more aware of plants and our surroundings ... and the kids like it."

That's a sentiment expressed strongly with his students, too. Juniors Elizabeth Edleman and Tyler Lippold describe horticulture as just being "fun." Edleman also finds the greenhouse relaxing, even when she does the "sweeping, lots of sweeping." She quickly explains, however, that the greenhouse must be kept extremely clean to keep out any insects that may harm the plants.

In fact, no pesticides or chemicals of any kind have been used on these plants for about six years, and students are proud of that. Lippold and Edleman expressed how important keeping the greenhouse clean, grooming the plants regularly, and using "good bugs" are to keeping Hale's plants insect and pesticide free.

The horticulture students love the hands-on experiences, such as working in the greenhouse everyday. As a matter of fact, students spend only 25 percent of their time in the classroom, although the advanced class is able to spend a bit more time in the greenhouse than the four introduction classes.

While the students are knowledgeable about the plants, they do not know much about any funding problems, just that they "don't have enough money to get everything (they need)," says Lippold, but he adds that horticulture is an important program because it "gets kids involved in something pretty different."

For more information about the horticulture program, or about plant sales, call 366-7817 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

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Nikki Schormann is a senior at Ballard High School and a news intern at the Seattle Sun.