The Southeast Valley Community School District recently purchased the former Foxtail Floral greenhouse along with an attached retail shop and home to give students hands-on, real-world experiences in agriculture, business, and family and consumer sciences.

“We are always excited to provide new, real-world opportunities for our students,” said Brian Johnson, Southeast Valley superintendent.

According to Johnson, students in Noelle Buresh, Amy Jaeschke, and Johanna Kunert’s classes will be making use of the greenhouse as part of real-world, hands-on learning opportunities.

“This space will really allow students to get valuable work and career experience,” said Buresh. “In career and technical education (CTE), sometimes it is difficult to get deep into a subject when only in the traditional classroom. This space will allow students to not just learn about the subjects, but be able to experience them.”

Southeast Valley’s agriculture classes and FFA program were obvious choices for usage of the greenhouse.

“This is extremely exciting to give the students an opportunity to have this hands-on learning opportunity in the greenhouse,” said Kunert, who teaches agriculture and is the school’s FFA advisor. “It will get them out of the traditional classroom setting and hopefully excite them about learning. It will allow them to see plants grow from seed to finish, and give them a sense of ownership of a plant.”

Kunert said she hopes to utilize the greenhouse for her Introduction to Agriculture, Horticulture, Soil Science, Agronomy, and Ag Products classes.

“For my classes, I’ll use the greenhouse for educational reasons, such as studying nutrient deficiencies, plant anatomy, soil composition, and so much more,” said Kunert.

Buresh, a first-year family and consumer science teacher at Southeast Valley, plans to utilize the district’s new greenhouse for her culinary, hospitality, and bakery classes.

“Our culinary students will have the opportunity to grow produce that they can use to cook,” said Buresh. “I envision our bakery class expanding into the greenhouse with baking goods. I would love to see my students be able to sell goods they have made to community members when we are having plant sale events.”

Students in Jaeschke’s business class will focus on the greenhouse as a business while using their marketing, management, financial, sales, and customer service skills.

“I am also hoping that DECA members can use the greenhouse for some of their competitive events, such as business development, product innovation, marketing campaigns, and sales events,” said Jaeschke. “We would also like to be able to use the greenhouse as a resource to help fund some of the costs incurred by our DECA Chapter.”

The district took ownership of the greenhouse and adjoining store and home earlier this month. Kunert, Buresh, and Jaeschke began work inside the greenhouse this week.

“I just think it is really an amazing thing to work in a district that is so supportive of our CTE programs,” said Buresh. “I am a big believer in learning by doing, and the greenhouse will allow us to do just that.”

Johnson said the district hopes to retain the services of former Foxtail Floral owner, Kara Stuelke, to assist the district as well.