The CHS Floral Design is growing and accomplishing great things! The classes have not only put together a sustainable floral shop that is 100% managed by students, the program has allowed students to practice their skills to acquire not only certifications for career paths after high school but students have been recognized by different organizations as they win more and more competitions. The students have excelled at design and have also had the opportunity to do florals for weddings and banquets. With this growth and continued interest in the program, the floral students have outgrown the one cooler available to store the flowers needed to continue to express creative and unique projects. Without an additional cooler, many of their flowers are susceptible to wilting before they can even finish their projects because of the lack of refrigerated space. Additionally, as students continue to compete in competitions or create large-scale venue arrangements, those pieces don't fit in the classroom cooler, leaving students having to scale down to smaller arrangements or unable to expand their floral shop.

The floral classroom needs an additional floral cooler as student interest and class sizes continue to grow over the past 3 years. The floral program also allows for certification and experience for those students that have chosen a floral design pathway after graduation. Three years ago, the floral program only had two small sections of Advanced Floral, that class section has now increased the amount to 4 sections along with students running a sustainable business. The students started selling only specialty items through The Red Rose, but have now grown to make monthly arrangements, Valentine’s Day arrangements, Mother’s Day arrangements, prom arrangements/boutonnieres and would like to advance to being able to provide more community-requested arrangements, sympathy designs, graduation arrangements, and large venue arrangements. By supporting this grant, students will be able to continue to acquire experience in direct relation to after-graduation careers.

The project will impact student learning by providing an additional refrigeration unit to support teaching students about florals and horticulture reactions when exposed to an adjustable cooler temperature as well as support learning about how to create large floral arrangements and arrangements with multiple types of greenery or flowers. The activities planned to be implemented by the grant will include students being able to work with a larger variety of horticulture and also to create more complex designs when competing, acquiring certifications, and learning about big event floral designs. The activities will impact the community if students have the capability to showcase more of their work at community events along with promoting community involvement for students. The project also advances the district’s mission by working with students that have chosen a pathway in floral design and business management after high school. The number of students potentially impacted by the grant will be approximately 120 students and students working on The Red Rose floral shop projects. In the educational article, “CTE Education Pathways,” research states that students that can gain certification in high school for a trade are able to qualify for jobs directly after graduation. Crosby High School students are able to acquire certifications and hands-on experience to use after graduation to support a career in floral design and become successful.