Clarke Central High School students in the Nursery and Landscape class stand in Stanford Stadium at the University of Georgia on Sept. 22. CCHS Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department teacher Anthony Brooks helped introduce the class at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year as part of the new Plant and Landscape Systems Pathway. “The purpose of (pathways) is to give students hands-on skills and knowledge in a specific area, (so) they (can) go and work in our community in that area that they’ve learned these skills in,” Brooks said. Photo courtesy of Anthony Brooks
The Plant and Landscape Systems Pathway was introduced by the CCHS CTAE department at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
The Clarke Central High School Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) department introduced the Plant and Landscape Systems pathway at the start of the 2025-26 school year.
The pathway is designed to prepare students for a career in landscaping, and to complete it, they must first take Basic Agricultural Science and General Horticulture before enrolling in Nursery and Landscape, where they learn skills used in the landscaping industry.
“(In Nursery and Landscape, we) started the semester learning how to read a tape measure, architectural scale (and) engineering scale, so students (can) read and analyze landscaping plans,” CCHS CTAE department teacher Anthony Brooks said. “Most recently, we learned about irrigation and had to build a 3D irrigation model using PVC pipe. So, (students) had to measure out their (pipe), cut it (and) glue it all together. Then, we went outside and tested it.”
“While agriculture may look different in our community, we still have a lot to offer. So, (we’re) trying to provide as many diverse courses (to) help expose students to what agriculture is.”
— Anthony Brooks, Agricultural Education department teacher
Once students have taken all three classes, they are encouraged to apply for a Work-Based Learning placement, where they can utilize the skills they’ve learned in a real-world setting.
“We partnered with the (University of Georgia) Golf Course (in October, and) they have positions available (to) students who have taken our landscape pathway to go and do maintenance on the golf course,” Brooks said. “So, we have some really exciting Work-Based-Learning opportunities that relate to landscaping.”
CCHS junior Colin Boyle is a member of the CCHS Future Farmers of America chapter and is in the process of completing the Plant and Landscape Systems pathway.
“I’ve (always) liked being outdoors, and I’ve always been interested in plants (and) the science behind (them and) how they’re such a vital part in everyday life and our ecosystem,” Boyle said. “I thought (the pathway) would be interesting because I know (about) plants, but I didn’t know how big the industry might be (and) if it is a possible career path (for me).”
Brooks hopes that the pathway will expand and provide students with opportunities to engage with both the CCHS and the broader Athens communities.
“A lot of times, when students think of the word ‘agriculture,’ they think of big farms, but in Athens, that’s not what (it) looks like. We’ve got businesses in our community that are greenhouse-operated (and) businesses that are floral design (oriented),” Brooks said. “While agriculture may look different in our community, we still have a lot to offer. So, (we’re) trying to provide as many diverse courses (to) help expose students to what agriculture is.”
