Abstract:
Potential students who would otherwise be averse to majoring in agriculture, yet who embrace the opportunities available in horticulture industries, should be recruited to this agricultural field. However, they are unaware that ornamental horticulture and related areas, including turf and landscape design, are indeed, agriculture. It is important
to provide learning opportunities to increase student's awareness of agriculture so they can make unbiased decisions and enter careers in the field. Therefore, residential ornamental summer internships were conducted in 2005-2007 for select Delmarva Peninsula high school students. Thirtyfive high school students from 16 high schools on the Eastern Shore, the Western Shore, and neighboring states participated in the two-week program, where
they learned about landscape design, propagation, turf, floral design, horticulture therapy, tissue culture, water quality, geospatial information systems, and horticulture careers. All students reported that they gained new knowledge and interest in the above areas, and demonstrated the gain in knowledge on tests they completed. They
agreed that the program increased their desire for a career in ornamental horticulture. Fifty-six percent indicated that they will consider a career in agriculture or ornamental horticulture. Students agreed that they learned much from the program, including new skills, techniques, and ideas.
Keywords:
ornamental summer program for high school students, horticulture industries, recruitment
 Marsh_JUNE 2011 NACTA Journal-4.pdf | [ ] | 133 kB |
