RBSHS & MCHS Plant Sales Begin This Week
Warm weather is finally here and the annual spring plant sale at Red Boiling Springs and Macon County High Schools begin this week as the agriculture students and FFA members offer the fruits of their labor to the public.
Cristina Yokley is the Agriculture teacher at Red Boiling Springs High School and according to her this is the first annual sale for the FFA, in that side of the county.
“When I first started here at RBS High School the ag students were involved with going to farm machinery shows,” said Yokley, who teaches all agriculture classes including mechanics, livestock, principals of agriculture and the green house course. “I grew up on a farm so I got them involved in competitions such as land judging, skills, livestock & dairy and the Envirothon.”
Yokley says this is all very beneficial to the students because in mechanics they learn hands on welding, plumbing, and electrical which they are going to need to have a house and for the greenhouse you need plant soil science to learn the principals to grow your own garden at home.
“Our greenhouse was built last fall,” commented Yokley, who started the greenhouse course that provides a dual credit opportunity with MTSU. “We actually didn’t have the funds to start building, but thanks to Mary Lazarou, John Wheeley and Jimmy Wheeley things got moving and donations began coming in. The students, along with the help of parents, built the greenhouse from ground up and construction was finished in September of 2012.”
Cristina says that she has some wonderful students, both boys and girls, and during the greenhouse project she gets the necessary materials needed and shows the students what to do. “They planted everything you see, watered it and have been taking care of it,” she said. “This is a great group of students and they even come on the weekends to water if I can’t. It is amazing the care they provide for the greenhouse and all I do is just watch them to make sure they doing it correctly.”
The students along with FFA members will take turns and do shifts during the sale, which begins on Monday. Proceeds from the sale will go into the agriculture fund for purchase of materials and supplies for the ag shop and anything else that is needed.
Sales at Red Boiling Springs begin on Monday, April 15 and extends thru Saturday, April 20 at the greenhouse located on the grounds of the high school. Hours are 8 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday, 8 a.m. until noon.
This year they will offer a variety of plants including various flowers, garden plants and ferns with hanging baskets. For more information contact Cristina Yokley at 699-3125.
Cristina is the daughter of Jackie and Lisa Yokley and she graduated from MCHS in 2007. “I love working with younger people and I love agriculture,” Cristina said. “I want to spend my career her in Red Boiling Springs.
The week-long sale at Macon County High School also begins this week, with the greenhouse management class and FFA program committing to this project every year.
“It’s that time of the year again as we host our annual plant sale,” said Mr. Tim Towns, who teaches agriculture along with Tyler Vester and Marty Curtis.
According to Mr. Towns, his greenhouses class students prepared all the plants, seeding, and did the transplanting, while the FFA members help with the sales.
“Mr. Tyler Vester, Marty Curtis and myself are the FFA advisors who work with the plant sale and the greenhouse every year,” Towns stated. “I have a really good class this year and they enjoy participating in this project and they have certainly done an excellent job this year, as you can see. What you see in the greenhouse is the result of what the students have accomplished.”
Towns says if they have a successful sale it is because the kids did a good job in the class. “Kids will volunteer and stay after school and help,” added Towns, “and on Saturdays the FFA members volunteer to come and work. They provide all the labor and do the work, and I am proud of each and every student involved.”
The students at MCHS are also selling a large variety of plants to the public including hanging baskets, Boston & Kimberly Queen Ferns, pots and numerous vegetables.
Hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 till noon at the greenhouse located at the school. Prices vary and all proceeds help support the MCHS Agriculture program. For more information call Tim Towns at 666-4320 or 615-374-1025.
