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Orange-Ulster BOCES Horticulture & Landscaping Students Beautify Their Surroundings
Students in Mr. Steven Gurda’s Horticulture & Landscaping classes in the Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) attend classes in state-of-the art greenhouses and “learn by doing” every day. These students don’t stay inside for long however, but spend much of their time outside beautifying the BOCES campus on Gibson Road by designing, planting, pruning and maintaining the flower beds around the buildings. They also travel to other locations in the community to share their talents and expertise. Earlier this spring, students refurbished a courtyard for the Orange County Department of Mental Health at its Goshen facililty. Also this spring the students had an opportunity to take a creative project from start to finish when they designed and planted shrubbery beds in front of the newly-renovated Carl P. Onken Conference Center at BOCES (photo).
Horticulture students at Orange-Ulster BOCES’ CTEC enjoy a long history of success as members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) where, among other activities, they compete at the Orange County Fair during the summer. In the past 33 years of participating in FFA sub-district contests, BOCES students have taken first place 31 times. These students also participate in real-world projects throughout the school year including formal flower arranging for holiday decorations and selling plants and arrangments to support the Student Activity Fund.
Photo: Students in Mr. Steven Gurda’s Horticulture and Landscaping classes designed and planted shrubbery beds in front of the newly-renovated Carl P. Onken Conference Center on the Orange-Ulster BOCES campus in Goshen. They are left to right, Lynda Wickham, Minisink Valley High School; Jessica Smith, Chester Academy; Errol Gattis, Valley Central High School; Jake Pennings and David Schell, S. S. Seward High School in Florida; Ian Mertens, Goshen High School and Laura Walter, Warwick Valley High School.