Floriculture Update by Krista Woodruff

The month of December we really worked hard in Floriculture class! We took business tours of Lehmann’s Greenhouse and Pawlaczyk’s Holiday Wreaths ‘N Such because they are holiday vendors of ours. Lehmann’s was really cool because it was a big greenhouse where they had a lot of plants everywhere and they were mostly poinsettias. When we went to Pawlaczyk’s Holiday Wreaths N’ Such we saw how the workers made wreaths, grave blankets and grave pillows. Everyone couldn’t believe how fast they could make everything. The class had a fun time on these tours and learned a lot.
For the past month we have also been so busy completing orders and making the customers happy. We even designed the flowers for a wedding! The flower of the month was a 6 inch poinsettias and we delivered them to our Flower of the Month Club members. The month was eventful, it flew by so fast!

Sub District and District Job Interview by Shaniece Langston

The Job Interview Career Development Event is a great experience. The contest prepares you for the future. It takes a lot of preparation for the contest but in the end it’s all worth it. The knowledge that is gained from the CDE can really be used when thinking about a career for your future. I’ve participated in the contest for 2 years now and I’ve shown a lot of progress from when I first started. It’s much easier for me because I know what to expect and I know what is expected from me. I’ve talked to a lot of my peers that have participated in the CDE and I’ve gotten the same feedback to share. They’ve all said that they were nervous before the interview, but afterwards they realized it wasn’t as hard as they anticipated. Participating in the Job Interview CDE has been one of the best things that I could do to better myself.

The SubDistrict Interview CDE was hosted by NSTC on December 1st and from Floriculture Tami Crockett, Tyrena Depp and Krista Woodruff earned a spot to move on to Districts on December 15th. From Natural Resources, Shaniece Langston, Shanise Howie and Macie Zeller earned a spot to compete at Districts. Congratulations!

Thank you to our interviewers: Greg Genzman, retired Park Ranger for Wood County Parks, Marilyn Dufour, Environmental Specialist for Toledo Division of Environmental Services, Heather Norris, Programs Director for Toledo Area Metroparks, Matt Shanahan, Senior District Executive for Erie Shores Council Boy Scouts of America, Tim Birthisel, Technology Development Manager for The Andersons, Inc.
A special thanks to: Jacqueline Turner, retired TPS Teacher, Adrienne Mullens, Stable Manager for Forestview Stables, Yvonne King, Director of Industrial and Engineering Technology and Natalie Cook, NSTC Small Animal Management Instructor for their help as room monitors in scoring applications and follow up letters.

Landscape and Turf Goes to Districts by Derek Fuller

The Landscape and Turf students tested their knowledge this month at District Contest. The career development event was held December 5th at Penta Career Center. The students faired well, as they had studied long and hard for this opportunity.
Leading the way for NSTC’s Landscape and Turf team was Bobby Ramirez. Bobby is a senior from Start High School. He placed 11 overall in the district with 105 points. He was closely followed by Rogers High School senior, Derek Fuller, with a score of 99.

The NSTC team ended up in 5th place, and was less than 40 points out of 3rd place. Mr. Weiss said, “I am very proud of all the students who competed, and hope to have an even better showing at the State Competition on January 27th in Columbus”.

Congratulations! by Sara Padgett

From the beginning of the school year we have been learning and explaining the FFA motto and creed and learning about the FFA emblem and the FFA salute. We also learned the FFA colors, FFA official dress as well as the proper use of the FFA jacket, the meaning of the emblem, and the FFA Code of Ethics. We also had to learn where the officers sat and what their symbol was. After mastering everything, the first year agriculture students took a test so we could prove we knew the information in order to earn our Greenhand degree. Once we received an 85% or higher on the test then we were able to receive a certificate and a bronze Greenhand pin at the Degree Ceremony which was held December 9th during class. The Greenhand pin will be worn on our official jacket to special events. At the ceremony forty-two first year students were called up in front of the school to receive their degree and get our picture taken. After the ceremony was over we had cake and ice cream to celebrate.Three second-year Natural Resources students earned their Chapter Degree. This is the second tier of the FFA Degree System. These students have already earned their Greenhand Degree, completed 180 hours of agriculture education, have earned $150 through their Supervised Agriculture Experience, have helped conduct three official FFA functions, lead a group for 15 minutes or more, and demonstrated five parliamentary procedures. Congratulations to Jordan Enis, Rob Giles and Shaniece Langston for earning the Chapter Degree and silver Chapter Degree pin!

Rare Breeds

The Senior Animal Management students were lucky to find themselves in the company of a rare breed of dog called the Dandie Dinmont Terrier. On November 10th, Janette Shorrock brought this unusual dog, named Charlie, to the classroom to share her grooming secrets with the students. grooming secrets with the students. Charlie is a champion show dog as well as a Delta Society certified therapy dog. Grooming a Dandie for show takes a bit of practice and knack. Janette demonstrated an advanced grooming technique called plucking. When plucking, you literally pluck the longer hairs from the coat of the dog. You need a good eye for the areas that need plucking.
The “Dandie” is referred to as the “gentleman of the terriers”. The breed originated in the 1700s in the border country between England and Scotland.
Janette chose this breed as a companion because she is also a native of England. The Dandie Dinmont is named for a farmer in a Sir Walter Scott novel and used to eradicate vermin, like rats and badgers. Dandies are hypoallergenic, but require regular coat care and grooming. Janette Shorrock is the Breeder Referral Chairperson for the Dandie Dinmont Club. She says you must be very patient to acquire a Dandie. The cost for a pet quality Dandie Dinmont is $1,500.00. There are not many breeders in the United States and they are quite particular about protecting the breed and promoting responsible breeding practices.There are not many breeders in the United States and they are quite particular about protecting the breed and promoting responsible breeding practices.

Toledo Zoo: Behind the Scenes

On Tuesday, November 17, my Animal Management class had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the Toledo Zoo. Our main mission was to get a sneek peek of the elephants. When we arrived at the zoo early that morning, we found ourselves in a classroom where we learned how to make enrichment with the help of two zoo educators, Lisa Bogard and Jerran Orwig..
Enrichment is the addition or modification of an animal's environment that encourages the animals to make choices, exhibit natural, or species appropriate behavior, present mental challenges, encourage physical activity/exercise and enhances the animals overall well being.
We went to work making three different enrichment items. Our first task was to decorate a brown paper bag with non-toxic markers and then fill them 1/4 full with popcorn and cheerios. These bags were folded shut and placed on a cart. Next we made melon bombs. This consisted of a cantaloupe that we cut holes into and stuffed with carrots. Finally we made elephant approved pixie sticks. These were large cardboard tubes stuffed with cut up carrots, apples, and yams. These snacks were held in by plugging each end of the tube with hay.
We took a break and learned about amphibians from the zoo educators. They let us touch the salamanders and frog used for the demonstration. Then we headed out, took a detour through an amphibian exhibit in the museum, trecked across zoo grounds and wound up in the elephant area where the zookeepers bathed Baby Louy and his mother Renee. The elephants were trained to move about and lift their feet for a thorough scrubbing and health checks. This is a daily task for the zookeepers.
As a special treat, we were given permission to go into the elephant's outdoor exhibit to hide the enrichment items we had made. After we were safe on the human side of the electric fence, the zookeepers lead the elephants to their outdoor enclosure, where they wasted no time finding their treats.
This was a fun trip. I hope we can do it again with another animal. I would love to get up close and personal with the wolves!

Sub-District Job Interview Career Development Event

The Floriculture and Natural Resources programs participated in a Chapter Job Interview Competition the last few weeks. Students were judged on filling out a job application, their cover letter and resume, a 10 minute face-to-face interview and a hand-written follow-up letter. Thank you so much to Jean Emery-Emery’s Flowers and Company, Doreen Kuzma-Denver Wholesale Florist, Josh Miller-Toledo Botanical Gardens, Adrienne Mullens– Forest View Ranch, Matt Shanahan– Boy Scouts Toledo Area, and Jim Jackson– Toledo City Forestry Division Council for taking time out of their busy schedules to conduct the face-to-face interviews. Here’s what the students had to say!

“I think that I did a great job with the interview being that it was my first time. The interviewer was really nice and respectful. Overall the interview was a great experience and I really learned a lot. I know later on it life it will be useful.”- Sharice Cosper, Floriculture 2

“During my interview I was nervous! I like how the guy was so nice to me and he understood that I am new at interviewing. I think the advice that he gave me will help me overcome being nervous in the future. I just need to let me confidence that I have show more and just be myself. I think this experience will help me in the future when I have a real interview.”- Stephanie Mason, Floriculture I

Congratulations to Floriculture 1 students Jasmine Cole, Tyrena Depp, Sara Padgett, and Krista Woodruff, Floriculture 2 students Tami Crockett and Sharice Cosper, Natural Resources I students Gabrielle Roberts, Te’Airia Baldwin, Devon Webster and Macie Zeller, and Natural Resources II students Shaniece Langston and Jordan Enis who will compete December 1^st in the Sub-District Job Interview Career Development Event.