Anthony Brooks, Clarke Central High School Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department teacher and National FFA Organization co-adviser, stands in the CCHS Greenhouse on March 4. Brooks has seen the work CCHS Horticulture students have put in to make the Spring Plant Sale, which will take place from April 2-5, a success. “It’s good for (the community) to be able to come in and see what our students are doing, but it also is just as rewarding and just as important for our students to get to meet the community members, to share experiences that could end up being potential employers one day,” Brooks said. Photo by Gillian Williams
From April 2-5, CCHS’s National FFA Organization chapter will host its Spring Plant Sale in the CCHS Greenhouse.
Clarke Central High School’s National FFA Organization chapter will hold their Spring Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 2 -4 and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on April 5 at the CCHS Greenhouse for Athens community members and CCHS staff members and students.
The sale is an event that brings in the bulk of the organization’s funds for things like field trips and classroom resources. It is also a learning opportunity for the students involved.
Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department teacher and National FFA Organization co-adviser Levi Carr-Brooks stands in the Clarke Central High School Greenhouse on Feb. 15, 2022. FFA Vice President Max Burnham, a junior, planned for a new change to this year’s sale. “Aside from an increase in the number of plants, we are changing our hours. In years past, the plant sale began at 7:30 a.m. and went until 6 p.m. on the weekdays. Starting later in the day (this year) allows the flow of class change to be uninterrupted,” Burnham said. Photo from the ODYSSEY archives
“Our Horticulture students are the ones learning how to operate a greenhouse fully, so everything (like) how to mix soil, how to plant plugs, how to plant seeds, how to transplant, how to propagate, how to irrigate plants, water them properly (and) how to mix fertilizers,” Anthony Brooks, CCHS Career, Technical and Agricultural department teacher and FFA co-adviser, said. “(The sale) is a culmination of all of our Horticulture students’ hard work.”
FFA Vice President Max Burnham, a junior, was involved in the planning of the sale and had one change the chapter wanted to make compared to previous years.
“Aside from an increase in the number of plants, we are changing our hours. In years past, the plant sale has begun at 7:30 a.m. and went until 6 p.m. on the weekdays. Starting later in the day allows the flow of class change to be uninterrupted,” Burnham said. This year, the plant sale will take place at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“(The sale) is a culmination of all of our Horticulture students’ hard work”
— Anthony Brooks,
CCHS CTAE department teacher and FFA co-adviser
According to Brooks, this year’s sale will be the largest so far, with more plants available than previous years and a goal of high community turnout.
“Hopefully we sell out of everything, all of our ferns, all of our annuals, perennials, vegetables. Hopefully, after the end of the four days, everything’s gone, but we don’t know what to expect,” Brooks said.
