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A greenhouse where learning grows By By Kaylee TornayMail Tribune Posted Apr 26, 2018 at 4:55 PM Updated Apr 26, 2018 at 6:28 PM Tyler Balero, 16, waters tomato plants in preparation for the Eagle Point High School plant sale. ▲ Tyler Balero, 16, waters tomato plants in preparation for the Eagle Point High School plant sale. ▲ --> Eagle Point High School students work in the greenhouse as part of a botany class. ▲ Eagle Point High School students work in the greenhouse as part of a botany class. ▲ --> In the gold-tinted light of a greenhouse tucked behind Eagle Point High School, a teenager is surrounded by leaves. The tomato plants in front of him are too young to bear the rich red fruit they'll later sprout. Several different varieties are lined up in orderly rows: Early Girls, Sweet 100s and Big Boys. Andrew Gmirkin recites their names with an ease that comes from years of experience tending, watering and waiting. The high school senior has been working back here since he was a sophomore, when he took his first botany class. Working with plants and joining Future Farmers of America, he says, helped him not only find his career passion, but also changed his experience in school. "Learning about germination rates taught me more about math than I ever learned in a classroom," he says. Soon, he is joined by a current batch of Botany 1 students, under the direction of Curtis North, agricultural science teacher. They're here to pinch off the terminal buds at the end of the tomato plant stems, which will allow them to flower healthily and produce more fruit. This is an example of what the the U.S. Department of Education calls Career and Technical Education — learning that can help guide children to a vocation after high school graduation. North echoes Gmirkin's opinion: that getting out in a workspace and learning with your fingers is a complement to the classroom. Most of his students who take vocational classes come back for more, he says. "(Students) stick around because they enjoy it, learning science in a real-life situation," North says. The real-life learning also yields another byproduct in the spring: real-life cash, which comes through the plant sales that supplement the greenhouse budgets. Students in North's botany classes learn customer service and interpersonal skills by running the sale, which will happen over the three days prior to Mother's Day (May 10-12). North says last year the sale brought in $35,000. But Eagle Point's gardening program isn't an isolated effort; it is deeply rooted in community relationships. North is part of a consortium of teachers who also lead horticulture programs at Phoenix, Crater and Rogue River high schools. The group has also attracted the support of local gardening clubs. The Medford Garden Club, for example, will hold a sale on Saturday to raise money for the horticulture programs. Carolyn Stieber, a club member from Eagle Point, connected with North. "A lot of us are educators," she says. "I think there's a concern about supporting horticulture education ... about who will be growing our food in a few years." Gmirkin may be part of that community as the incoming FFA Oregon president, and as an aspiring spokesperson for an ag company. He says he entered high school thinking of a career as a police officer. "Being part of FFA and taking ag classes showed me what I want to do with my life," he says. Medford Garden Club's plant sale will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in the parking lot of Umpqua bank, 1211 E. McAndrews Road, Medford. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Kaylee Tornay at [email protected] or 541-776-4497. Follow her on Twitter @ka_tornay . Most Popular OSF's 'Oklahoma!' is as innovative as the original Apr 23 at 6:38 PM Medford gun supporters prepare for ballot showdown Apr 21 at 5:04 PM Nathan "Nate" Allen Joling Apr 25 at 8:51 AM Letters to the Editor, April 21 Apr 23 at 7:31 AM Apple Jam is toast in Jackson County Apr 26 at 7:17 AM Woman charged in $7,000 Victoria's Secret underwear theft Apr 20 at 4:58 PM Roller Derby benefits kids battling cancer Apr 20 at 5:32 PM Driver who struck bulls must pay $23,268 Apr 24 at 7:16 AM Ashland native Weatherby is NHL prospect after big year Apr 25 at 5:57 PM Motorcyclist killed in east Medford crash Apr 23 at 9:02 AM Community Builder: A cheerleader for Southern Oregon Apr 22 at 2:01 AM Medford Sears weathers the retail storm Apr 23 at 4:43 PM © Copyright 2006-2018 Rosebud Media LLC. All rights reserved. Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com ~ P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501