The Holiday Shop at the Trumbull Agriscience and Biotechnology Center is open for business. All 200 students of this regional high school have been getting ready for this event since the flower plugs arrived this past April. The profits from the holiday event go back into the program, i.e. upkeep of the animals, seed purchase and underwriting the cost of attending regional flower shows.
The preparation, set-up, and retailing of the flowers, trees and accessories is an actual part of the students’ curriculum – no matter what their concentration of study. There are 5 ‘majors:’ plant science, bio-technology/environmental science, animal science, agricultural mechanics and equine science.
“By giving the students such a very broad view of the world of agriscience and technology, we’re sowing the seeds of not only their present day interests, but also their future interest,” said the Center’s director Frank Cicero.
Under the direction of plant science and greenhouse hydroponics instructor Chris Allen, the preparation for the Holiday Ship begins in April when 1750 poinsettias and 200 cyclamen are ordered. The plants arrive as small plugs in July and August and the students plant each one. In this way they are learning about soil mixtures. Even though all of the newly potted plants are placed in a controlled environment, it is the students who tend to the feeding and watering.
During the first week of September, students begin ‘pinching’ the growing poinsettias in order to slow their growth and make them a fuller plant. Another way the students learn to control the height of the plant is by regulating the temperature of their greenhouse.
The students under Mr. Allen’s direction are always trying a new variety of poinsettia. This year the public can choose from 9 varieties – in almost as many colors (back cover). Of course, there is also the traditional old standby, red.
As opening day nears, the ‘fixings’ for the wreaths and evergreen balls arrive and the students begin creating the festive decorations. A shipment of Christmas trees also needs to be unloaded, tagged and put on display in the Daniels Farm Road barnyard.
There is still plenty left to do the week before the shop opens for business. Students must now ‘dress’ every plant – almost 2000 – with colorful pot sleeves and foil. They must also arrange the display tables and racks for the hanging baskets; and of course, decorate the sale area to create a festive, buying mood.
“You can’t compare our plants to the store-bought variety,” Mr. Allen pointed out. “In stores, they sit in boxes for days, if not weeks, before they’re put out on the floor. Our plants go directly from the greenhouse to the display tables. It can’t get much fresher than that.”
A former economics teacher, Mr. Cicero highlighted another important aspect of this learning experience. “Not only are the students learning the production side of the agricultural industry, they’re also learning the business end. The students learn there is more to retailing their product than just putting it on a table. Presentation and pricing are important components of making a sale, and a profit. – It’s also a life lesson.”
And the students seem to have learned their lessons well. By the end of the second week, the Holiday Shop usually ‘sells-out.’ So if there’s a lesson the public should learn, it’s shop early. The Holiday Shop at Trumbull Agriscience and Biotechnology Center, 536 Daniels Farm Road, is open through December 16: weekdays, 9am to 3pm; weekends, 10am to 4pm. The Holiday Shop is also a drop-off site for ‘Toys For Tots.’
