MOWEAQUA, Ill. (WAND) — Inside the greenhouse at Central A&M High School, spring is in full bloom. Students in the school's horticulture class and FFA chapter have been digging into the dirt as they prepare for their annual Spring Plant sale.Â
"There's something about watching something be planted in the ground, and then watching it grow, it's really really special..." said Mileigh Brown, a junior FFA member.Â
Brown and her classmates have been hard at work, planting and preparing for the culmination of their year long project that began back in October.
"These kids have been in the shop transplanting every day it feels like," said FFA advisor and Horticulture teacher, Betsy Burgener. "We grow from seed, and we have a germination chamber that we use."
Burgener has had a front row seat to watching her students learn hands on right in their own community. The process has been a mix of soil, sunsine and something even sweeter: pride.Â
Brown is proud of the work she's put in to make these plants ready for their future homes in the community. "It's very rewarding to see people get excited about the work that you've been putting in for quite a while now."
While learning a lesson in making an environmental impact, they are also helping to beautify their corner of Illinois. Burgener takes her students through the science of growing these plants, all the way to making them ready to be planted in a garden this spring.
From a selection of vegetables, like juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, to vibrant flowers, their plant sale is a student powered operation from root to bloom.
The plant sale will run on Saturday from 9am to 2pm.Â
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