Minuteman High School students earn awards at Mass. FFA Convention and Boston Flower & Garden Show

By Judy Bass

Students from Minuteman High School in Lexington excelled at two recent events that showcased their horticultural and agricultural skills, earning awards for their outstanding work.

Nineteen students from various technical programs at Minuteman competed at the Massachusetts State FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) Convention in Sturbridge from March 16-18, 2016. (The Minuteman FFA chapter is open to all students who have an interest in agriculture and horticulture.) Honors in several categories went to many of the students. During the same week, an intricate natural playscape created by Horticulture students from Minuteman was displayed at the Boston Flower & Garden Show from March 16-20, 2016. It won recognition for being the best student exhibit at the event.

Minuteman Horticulture / Landscape Technology Instructor and FFA Advisor Sarah Ard, MCH, was one of two Massachusetts FFA advisors awarded an honorary FFA degree by the Massachusetts FFA Association.

FFA is a national organization established in 1928 that, according to its web site, provides “a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.”

The Minuteman student medalists and the categories in which they won FFA honors were as follows:

First place - Agriscience Fair Power Systems, individual: Brent Boudrot (Billerica; Horticulture)

Third place - Agriscience Fair Power Systems, team: Hannah English (Woburn; Horticulture) and Jeffrey Connell (Billerica; Horticulture)

Third place - Agriscience Fair Food Systems, team: Derek Smith (Biotechnology; Arlington) and John William Kriebel (Belmont; Biotechnology)

Third place - Individual demonstration: Noah DeCesare (Lancaster; Automotive Technology)

Bronze Turfgrass Career Development Event - Richard Gottschalk (Wilmington; Horticulture), Duncan MacLean (Medford; Hortuculture), John Goudey (Billerica; Horticulture) and Brent Boudrot.

Students also competed in Interview, Environmental Science category for Agriscience Fair, Animal Systems category in Agriscience Fair, Nursery Landscape Career Development Event (CDE), Chapter exhibit, and Reporter's Scrapbook.

The natural playscape designed by the Minuteman Horticulture students and shown at the Boston Flower & Garden Show came about as a result of two other playscapes done previously by the students, one at Meriam Road in Concord and one at the Burbank Elementary School in Belmont. When Ms. Ard heard the theme of this year’s Flower & Garden Show was “Nurtured by Nature,” it seemed like an ideal opportunity to have the students create a third playscape to be viewed by the general public.

A nature playscape, as defined on signage at the Minuteman exhibit, “encourages connections with the natural world,” thus engaging all the senses in a stimulating and enlightening way. The notable horticultural and educational components of this playscape included a willow tunnel, a garden with corn, beans and squash, and a water feature.

"The students were able to get a first-hand account of what it takes to design, build, and break down an exhibit at an internationally known flower show,” said Ms. Ard. “There aren't many high school students who can say that they exhibited at such a show. It’s quite the resume addition."

The students’ participation in these two events is very much in keeping with Minuteman’s focus on providing memorable, hands-on experiences for them to use and enhance their abilities and knowledge. Minuteman is an award-winning regional high school that integrates robust academic and career and technical learning to deliver a revolutionary competitive advantage. The school serves a diverse student body with multiple learning styles, expanding opportunities for college and career success.