Teen gardeners digging in
Warren Tech team to defend title with 'Metro Oasis' theme
Rocky Mountain News
by Carol O'Meara, Special to the Rocky
February 9, 2008
On a snowy winter day, Susan Simons is coaxing her students through an intricate weave of split-leaf sculpture, forming birds of paradise from red and green striped flax.
Heads bent over the delicate 3-D design, the class folds and tucks until their birds look real enough to fly.
Practice makes perfect, and these students at Warren Tech, based in Lakewood, are ready to defend their title as winners of the President's Trophy for best educational garden at the 2007 Colorado Garden and Home Show. Going head to head - and winning - against professional landscapers, junior colleges and a state university is not an easy feat for high school students.
"The kids get real-world experience in the pressure of getting ready for the public and for competition," says Simons, horticulture teacher for the 35-year-old program. "I gave them the theme of 'Metro Oasis,' and they ran with designing the idea to showcase what can be done for apartment patios in LoDo."
Designed by the landscape operations class, the 800-square- foot garden will feature suggestions for making urban outdoor areas places of escape from daily stress.
"Not everyone can afford to travel to a beach as often as they'd like, so the students thought it fun to bring the beach to downtown Denver," the 45-year old said.
Of the 15 students designing and building the garden this year, two are returning members from last year's award-winning crew. Each year, Simons coaches returning students on leadership and supervision in addition to business and technical skills.
Several Warren Tech programs are highlighted at the show. Welding students craft the metal pieces for the garden, and floral design students provide plant and color combinations.
Along with lending a hand to their landscape program counterparts, this year the budding florists will showcase their own work in the floral circle, an invitational competition for floral designers.
Flower arrangements from nine local florists and Warren Tech will be displayed in the wider central aisles of the show.
For the Tech exhibit, the six students in class have been practicing making leafy birds.
"I've got shaggy tail feathers," junior Anna Dienstfrei says as she grooms her sculpture. "I need to cut this off so it looks better."
Perfecting the techniques to turn plants into flights of fancy comes in handy for the design class, which makes floral pieces for special events.
When they're not participating in the Colorado Garden and Home Show, students at Warren Tech settle down to learn the business of horticulture. With course work spanning plant science, water management and aquaculture, the Jefferson County school prepares its graduates to enter an industry clamoring for skilled apprentices.
Internships with local green- industry partners, required for seniors, often end with job offers for the students, many of whom spend summers working for the industry while attending college.
"Every time I get new students, I work on building their confidence," says Simons. "You can see it in their eyes when they're ready to learn. Many of these kids will work their way through college, and this is a great way to get them opportunities to find jobs."
